828  Broadwuv 


C* W 

oe  m  i  * 


REESE   LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY    OF   CALIFORNIA. 

Received . . 

5 

Accessions  No.  *--5  ' 


Jb 


Jif 


BRANCH  OF  FRUIT  OF  MEECH'S  PROLIFIC   QUINCE,   FROM  A  FIVE- 
TEAR-OLD   TREE. 


QUINCE  CULTURE. 


AN    ILLUSTRATED    HAND-BOOK    FOR   THE    PROPAGATION   AND 
CULTIVATION  OF  THE   QUINCE,  WITH   DESCRIPTIONS 
OF   ITS   VARIETIES,   INSECT  ENEMIES,  DIS- 
EASES   AND    THEIR    REMEDIES. 


BY 

W.    W.    MEEOH,    A.  M. 

SECRETARY  OF  THE  TIN  ELAND  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY,  AND  HONORARY  MEMBER 
OP  THE  NEW  JERSEY  STATE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


NEW    YORK: 

ORANGE    JUDD    COMPANY, 

751    BROADWAY. 

1888. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1888,  by  the 

ORANGE    JUDD    CO., 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


'  UN  1 

PiLlFOP 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


Preface ... 9 

Introduction 11 

CHAPTER  I. 
History  of  the  Quince 13 

CHAPTER  II. 
Structure  of  Quince  Trees 17 

CHAPTER  III. 
Varieties  of  the  Quince ...  20 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Soils  for  the  Quince 33 

\    CHAPTER  V. 

Manures  for  the  Quince 36 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Location — Trenching — Drainage — Cultivation 41 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Laying  out  the  Orchard 43 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Transplanting  the  Quince 47 

CHAPTER  IX. 

When  to  Transplant — Keeping  a  Record — Effects  of  Winds 
— Straightening  Trees , 52 

CHAPTER  X. 
Propagation  of  the  Quince 54 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Pruning  the  Quince 64 


VI  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Promoting  Fruitf ulness  without  Pruning 74 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Flowers  and  Fruit .  75 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Thinning  the  Fruit .  77 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Gathering  and  Marketing 78 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  Profits  of  Quince  Culture 81 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Diseases  of  the  Quince 82 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Winter-Killing 95 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Insect  Enemies  of  the  Quince. 97 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Birds— Toads— Rabbits— Mice .133 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Medicinal  and  Economic  Uses  of  the  Quince .135 


INDEX    TO    ILLUSTRATION 


Frontispiece,  View  in  the  Author's   Orchard  at  Vineland,  N.  J. 


Figure  Page 

1,2,3.  Typical  Forms  of  Angers 

Quince '. 22 

4,5.  Typical  Forms  of  Orange 

or  Apple  Quince 23 

6.  Champion  Quince 24 

7.  Chinese  Quince 24 

8.  Fuller  Quince 26 

9.  Meech's  Prolific  Quince. ...  28 

10.  Missouri  Mammoth  Quince  30 

11.  Pear  Quince.. ...  31 

12.  Portugal  Quince 31 

13.  Rea's  Mammoth  Quince  ..-  32 

14.  Laying  out  in  Squares 43 

15    Laying  out  in  Quincunx. ._  44 

16.  Quincunx  by  Circles 44 

17.  Fixed  Marker 45 

18.  Adjustable  Marker 45 

19.  Movable  Triangle.. 45 

20.  Locating  Board 46 

21.  Locating  Board  in  Use 46 

22.  Good  Tree  Digging 48 

23.  Bad  Tree  Digging 48 

24.  25.  Heeling-in  Trees 51 

26.  Layering 55 

27.  Mound  or  Stool  Layering. .  57 

28.  Large  Cutting 58 

29.  Root  Grafting 58 

30.  Root  Cutting 59 

31.  Splitting  Knife  and  Chisel.  60 

32.  Cleft  Grafting 60 

33.  Splice  Grafting.. 60 

34.  Saddle  Grafting. 61 

35.  36.  Side  Grafting.. 61 

37,  38.  Crown  Grafting... 62 

39,  40.  Budding  Knives 62 

41.  Stick  of  Buds 63 

42.  Cutting  a  Bud 63 

43.  Training  a  Shoot  from  a  Bud  63 

(VII) 


Figure  Page 

44.  Pruning  Shears. 65 

45.  Buds  and  Branches 66 

46.  Tree  before  Pruning 70 

47.  Tree  after  Pruning 71 

48.  Bad  and  Good  Pruning  ....  72 

49.  Effects  of  Bad  Pruning 72 

50.  Injury  from  Bad  Pruning ..  73 

51.  Result  of  Good  Pruning  ...  73 

52.  Ringing 75 

53.  A  Cheap  Step-Ladder. 79 

54.  Stave  Basket.... 79 

55.  Fruit  Crate.... 80 

56.  Stem  at  a  Bud  as  Affected 

byRaestilia  aurantiaca...  86 

57.  Stem  between  Buds  Affected 

byRaestilia  aurantiaca---  87 

58.  Fruit  and  Stem  as  Affected 

by  RaBstilia  aurantiaca---  88 

59.  Spore  of  the  Raestilia,  Mag- 

nified 400  Diameters 89 

60.  Allorhina  nitida 89 

61.  Leaves  Affected  by  Morth- 

iera  Mespili 90 

62.  Morthiera   Mespili,   Magni- 

fied 400  Diameters 91 

63.  Mycelium  of  the  Fungi.. ..  91 

64.  Hendersonia  Cydonia,  Mag- 

nified 400  Diameters 91 

65.  Leaves  Affected  by  Hender- 

sonia  Cydonia 92 

66.  Leaf  Blight 93 

67.  Larva  of  the  Borer 98 

68.  Pupa  of  the  Borer 98 

69.  Beetle  of  the  Borer 98 

70.  Woolly  Aphis 100 

71.  Cut- Worm,  Moth -. .  102 

72.  Chrysalis  of  the  Variegated 

Cut- Worm..  ..103 


VIII 


INDEX   TO   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Figure  Page 

73.  Larva    of    the    Variegated 

Cut-Worm 103 

74.  Eggs  of  the  Variegated  Cut- 

"Worra .103 

75.  Larva   and    Moth    of    the 

Dark-Sided  Cut- Worm ...  103 

76.  Agrotis  Scandens... -104 

77.  W-Marked  Cut- Worm 104 

78.  Moth    of    W-Marked    Cut- 

Worm  104 

79.  Calosoma  Scrutator 105 

80.  Calosoma  Calidum 105 

81.  Eggs  of  Handmaid  Moth  -.106 
82   to  87.  Larva  of  Handmaid 

Moth 107 

88.  Chrysalis     of      Handmaid 

Moth.... ...107 

89.  Handmaid  Moth 108 

90.  TachinaFly— A  Parasite -.-108 

91.  Fall  Web- Worm,  Larva -...109 
93.  Chrysalis     of     Fall    Web- 
Worm 109 

93.  Moth  of  Fall  Web-Worm  -.109 

94.  Bag-Worm— All  Stages  .--.110 

95.  Cryptus  inquisitor... 112 

96.  Hemiteles  thyridopteryx  — 

Male 112 

97.  Female...  -.112 


Figure  Page 

98.  Corn    Emperor    Moth  — 

Larva 112 

99.  Female ..113 

100.  Male 113 

101.  White-Marked      Tussock- 

Moth—Larva ..115 

102.  Pupa 115 

103.  Male 115 

104.  Pear-Tree  Slug— Female -.117 

105.  Larva - 117 

106.  Polyphemus  Moth,Female -120 

107.  Male 120 

108.  Chrysalis -121 

109.  Larva -121 

110.  Cocoon -.122 

111 .  Long-tailed  Ophion 123 

112.  Cotton    Tuft,  Larva    and 

Cocoon ....124 

113.  The  Green  Aphis 125 

114.  Leaf  Grumpier 129 

115.  Leaves      Destroyed       by 

Crumpler - 129 

116.  Tarnished  Plant-Bug 130 

117.  Pear-Tree  Blister-Beetle ...  131 

118.  Chrysomelians .131 

119.  Quince  Curculio 132 

120.  121,   122.    Saving   Girdled 

Trees..  -.134 


PREFACE. 

To  cultivate  any  fruit  with  the  highest  success  there 
must  be  sufficient  knowledge  of  what  is  involved  to 
enable  the  cultivator  to  assign  a  reason  for  what  he  does 
both  to  the  soil  and  to  the  tree. 

The  object  of  this  work  is  to  furnish  a  manual  or 
hand-book  for  the  novice  and  those  who  are  already  more 
or  less  informed,  and  yet  desire  a  work  of  reference  to 
consult  in  the  various  operations  necessary  to  attain  the 
highest  success  in  quince  culture. 

Aware  of  the  imperfections  of  everything  human,  the 
author  does  not  expect  that  this  attempt  to  furnish  a 
collective  exhibit  of  the  points  of  greatest  interest  per- 
taining to  this  culture  of  a  much-neglected  fruit  will  be 
beyond  criticism.  The  demand  for  a  work  on  quince 
culture  is  urgent,  and  is  shown  by  many  letters  of  in- 
quiry from  all  parts  of  the  country.  Solicitations  have 
been  numerous,  asking  the  author  to  write  this  book, 
and  give  the  world  the  results  of  his  experience. 

On  consulting  the  large  libraries  of  the  great  cities, 
and  those  in  smaller  cities  and  towns,  no  separate  work 
was  found  on  quince  culture.  Interesting  articles  are 
scattered  through  many  volumes  on  agriculture,  horti- 
culture, and  gardening,  showing  marked  improvement  in 
the  culture  of  nearly  all  fruits.  There  are  works  more 
or  less  pretentious  on  the  culture  of  the  apple,  pear, 
peach,  etc.,  but  the  various  articles  relating  to  the  quince 
are  dispersed  through  so  many  different  books,  that 
the  labor  of  finding  them,  when  the  information  they 
contain  is  wanted,  is  too  great  to  be  generally  undertaken 
by  even  those  having  access  to  ample  libraries. 

After  deciding  to  prepare  this  manual,  the  author  spent 
a  year  re-examining  all  the  points,  as  the  seasons  favored, 

(9) 


10  PREFACE. 

to  be  well  satisfied  in  regard  to  all  the  insect  enemies 
and  diseases  of  the  quince,  and  in  reading  whatever  he 
could  find  upon  any  part  of  the  subject.  Besides  the 
many  points  of  interest  in  his  own  experience  and  obser- 
vation, he  takes  great  pleasure  in  acknowledging  his  in- 
debtedness to  the  writings  of  Charles  Downing,  John 
Lindley,  J.  J.  Thomas,  A.  S.  Fuller,  S.  W.  Cole,  W. 
Sanders,  P.  B.  Mead,  and  others  in  the  department  of 
propagation  and  culture.  In  studying  the  insect  ene- 
mies of  the  quince,  his  own  observations  have  been 
greatly  aided  by  the  works  of  Harris,  Packard,  Riley, 
and  Saunders,  on  entomology.  In  observing  the  dis- 
eases to  which  the  quince  is  subject,  substantial  help 
has  been  derived  from  Professor  Arthur's  researches  on 
the  blight,  and  the  North  American  Fungi  of  Professor 
Ellis,  who  is  unsurpassed  in  mycological  research. 

In  the  hope  that  it  may  prove  a  serviceable  help  to  all 
who  shall  consult  its  pages,  it  is  respectfully  submitted 
to  the  public  by  the  author. 


INTRODUCTION. 

WE  live  in  a  progressive  age,  when  knowledge  is 
greatly  increased,  and  the  mental  horizon  widened  by 
the  researches  and  observations  of  experimenters  in  hor- 
ticulture, as  iii  every  other  pursuit.  Improvement  in 
quince  culture  has  been  remarkably  slow,  yet,  on  the 
whole,  has  certainly  attained  to  an  encouraging  state  of 
progress.  The  markets  of  the  country  are  beginning  to 
be  fairly  supplied  with  this  fruit,  where  but  a  few  years 
ago  it  was  very  scarce. 

For  both  ornament  and  profit  I  know  of  no  fruit  that 
can  be  planted  with  better  promise  of  success  than  the 
quince.  In  a  city  yard,  or  a  village  garden,  there  will  be 
some  spot  for  a  tree  or  two ;  and  on  a  farm,  large  or 
small,  the  judicious  planting  of  this  fruit  will  be  a  most 
profitable  investment.  The  method  of  culture  here 
described  has  been  attended  with  marked  success.  In 
practice,  the  difference  between  success  and  failure  often 
depends  on  a  little  thing,  very  easily  overlooked  by  the 
most  skilful.  But  as  a  good  general  organizes  a  victory 
out  of  a  defeat,  so  will  a  good  culturist  learn  by  his 
failures  to  succeed  in  further  trials,  as  by  them  he  gets 
back  to  first  principles. 

Quince  culture  is  both  an  art  and  a  science.  One 
great  reason  why  the  cultivation  of  the  quince  has  been  so 
much  neglected  is,  that  it  was  accepted  as  a  foregone  con- 
clusion that  no  success  was  to  be  expected  in  the  place 
and  with  the  facilities  at  command.  But  now,  with  the 
multiplication,  improvement,  and  cultivation  well  under- 
stood, and  reduced  to  some  degree  of  exactness,  it  is  as 
reasonable  to  expect  success  with  this  as  with  any  other 
fruit. 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

It  will  be  of  great  service  to  understand  the  prin- 
cipal laws  governing  the  growth  of  plants,  and  the 
application  of  those  laws  to  this  fruit.  The  method 
of  culture  most  in  agreement  with  these  laws  will 
always  give  the  greatest  promise  of  success.  As  was 
said  at  a  meeting  of  the  Maryland  Horticultural  Soci- 
ety: "  This  fruit  deserves  systematic  cultivation,  in- 
stead of  the  careless  system  of  a  tree  here  and  there  in 
the  corners  of  fences,  and  in  wet  places,  unt rimmed  and 
choked  by  weeds." 

In  1872  the  editor  of  the  "Horticulturist"  asked: 
"  Why  does  not  some  one,  of  a  careful  turn  of  mind, 
forsaking  the  beaten  path  of  fever  for  strawberries,  cran- 
berries, pears,  and  peaches,  study  the  characteristics  of 
the  quince,  and  learn  its  needs  of  soil  and  climate,  and 
then  follow  them  up  by  planting  a  good  orchard  ?  "  The 
author  has  done  this,  and  here  gives  the  results  of  his 
experience. 

The  aim  in  this  manual  is  to  furnish  all  needed  infor- 
mation for  the  profitable  cultivation  of  quinces  in  all 
places  where  they  will  grow.  Let  this  fruit,  for  which 
there  is  no  substitute,  be  no  longer  only  a  luxury  within 
the  means  of  the  rich,  but  become  so  common  and  abun- 
dant that  it  may  be  enjoyed  by  all.  It  will  greatly 
increase  the  true  wealth  of  the  nation  to  provide  all 
classes  with  all  the  varieties  of  fruits  in  their  seasons,  and 
so  extend  the  means  of  health  and  happiness. 


QUINCE    CULTURE. 


CHAPTER    I. 
HISTORY    OF    THE    QUINCE. 

CYDONIA,  to  which  the  Quince  (0.  vulgaris)  belongs,  is 
a  genus  of  trees  and  shrubs  of  the  natural  order  Rosacece, 
sub-order  Pomece,  and  nearly  allied  to  Pyrus,  with  which 
some  botanists  unite  it;  but  it  is  distinguished  from  Pyrus 
by  having  many  seeds  in  each  cell,  and  by  the  abundance 
of  mucilage  in  the  seed  cells.  It  is  found  all  through 
Western  Asia  and  Southern  Europe,  whence  its  cultiva- 
tion has  been  extended. 

The  rabbinical  traditions  of  the  Jews  make  it  the 
most  ancient  of  all  our  fruits,  dating  back  to  the  Garden 
of  Eden  ;  and  there,  by  its  exquisite  beauty  and  delight- 
ful fragrance,  tempting  Eve  to  commit  her  first  disobedi- 
ence. In  harmony  with  this  tradition,  is  the  fact  that 
the  quince  grows  in  high  perfection  all  through  Palestine 
and  the  surrounding  countries.  This  fruit  at  Hebron  is 
so  mild  that  many  eat  it  out  of  hand,  as  we  do  apples 
and  pears.  Both  Jews  and  Mohammedans  make  great 
use  of  it  for  various  confections,  preserving  it  in  earthen 
vessels  akin  to  the  crocks  in  use  among  us.  According 
to  the  "  Horticulturist "  for  1848-9,  "The  quince  of  Persia 
attains  a  weight  of  fifty  to  sixty  ounces  ;  ripens  on  the 
tree  or  in  the  store,  and  can  be  eaten  like  a  soft  ripe  pear." 

It  was  early  cultivated  among  the  Greeks,  who  called 
it  the  Kudonion  Malon,  the  Cydonian  Apple,  and  used 
-(13) 


14  QUINCE  CULTURE. 

it  extensively  as  a  preserve.  Its  botanical  name,  Cydo- 
nia,  comes  from  Cydon,  a  city  on  the  island  of  Crete, 
where  it  grew  abundantly.  They  found  it  then,  as  now, 
"both  toothsome  and  wholesome."  A  writer  in  the  sev- 
enth volume  of  Putnam's  Magazine  tells  how  the  ancients 
testified  to  their  appreciation  of  this  fruit  by  dedicating 
it  to  Venus.  They  regarded  it  as  the  emblem  of  both 
love  and  happiness.  With  it  they  decorated  the  temples 
of  Cyprus  and  Paphos.  It  was  the  chosen  ornament  of 
the  statues  of  Hymen.  In  the  garden  of  the  Tuilleries 
there  is  a  figure  of  Hercules  holding  quinces  in  his  hand. 
According  to  Plutarch,  Solon  enacted  a  law  that  this 
fruit  should  be  the  invariable  feast  of  each  newly- wedded 
pair  before  they  retired  to  their  nuptial  couch.  Homer, 
the  Asiatic  Greek  and  father  of  epic  poetry,  three  thou- 
sand years  ago  described  a  garden  in  his  Odyssey  with 
such  classic  beauty,  and  sympathy  with  the  real  life  of 
the  people  of  that  age,  that  we  almost  wish  we  had  lived  in 
his  Smyrnian  home  to  regale  ourselves  with  the  luscious 
quinces  and  other  fruits  there  grown  in  their  perfection. 

From  the  classic  plains  of  Greece,  where  it  may  have 
formed  the  sacred  shade  of  Academus,  this  golden  fruit, 
in  genial  fellowship  with  literature  and  the  arts,  traveled 
into  Italy,  where  Virgil,  the  prince  of  Latin  poets,  threw 
over  its  own  inherent  charms  the  rhythmic  spell  of  his 
enchanting  lays.  One  of  the  magic  effusions  of  his  genius 
appears  in  the  beautiful  lament  of  the  shepherd  Da- 
mon, in  the  VIHth  Eclogue,  where  he  honors  the  quince 
by  placing  it  among  the  select  exponents  of  a  higher 
order  of  nature,  hypothetically  conceived  to  illustrate  the 
irremediable  determination  of  the  lover's  despair. 

The  quince  was,  according  to  Goropius,  the  golden  apple 
of  the  Hesperides.  Columella,  the  most  elegant  and  ex- 
tensive agricultural  and  horticultural  writer  of  his  time, 
"who  scattered  incense  upon  the  altar  of  its  virtues," 
extolled  it  as  the  promoter  of  both  health  and  pleasure. 


/' 

HISTORY   OF  THE   QUINCE.  15 

The  Elder  Pliny,  with  the  fond  instinct  of  the  true 
pomologist,  eloquently  descants  upon  its  valuable  prop- 
erties, and  paints  the  tree  as  it  appeared  about  Eome, 
with  its  branches  depending  to  the  ground,  jeweled  with 
starry  fruit.  In  fact,  "  the  clever  criticisms  of  this  early 
naturalist  soon  became  lost  amid  his  enchanting  pane- 
gyrics." Different  varieties  of  the  quince  (more  than  we 
possess  now),  he  tells  us,  were  cultivated  in  profusion 
throughout  Italy,  "  both  for  ornamental  and  useful  in- 
tents." Like  the  orange  and  lemon  in  our  Northern  States, 
it  appears  sometimes  to  have  been  grown  in  boxes,  which 
"  were  exposed  for  admiration  in  the  ante-chambers  of 
the  great. "  He  extolled  most  highly  its  health-imparting 
and  medicinal  virtues,  enlivening  his  classic  descriptions 
with  a  warmth  of  enthusiasm  which  "must  inevitably 
fill  the  modern  admirer  of  the  quince  with  enduring 
delight." 

Professor  Targioni,  an  Italian  horticulturist,  informs 
us,  that  at  the  present  time  the  peasantry  in  some  parts 
of  Southern  Europe  highly  prize  the  quince  for  perfuming 
their  stores  of  linen,  and  that  in  the  yet  warmer  lands  it 
is  still  found  as  gratifying  to  the  palate  as  to  the  nostrils. 
A  recent  traveler  in  Persia,  after  speaking  of  its  use  as 
a  dessert,  says  it  is  yearly  forwarded  as  presents  to  Bag- 
dad, where  the  highly  perfumed  odor  is  found  so  power- 
ful, that  if  there  be  but  a  single  quince  in  a  caravan,  no 
one  who  accompanies  it  can  remain  unconscious  of  its 
presence. 

The  Italian  name  of  the  quince,  cotona  or  cotogna,is 
believed  to  be  the  origin  of  melocoton  for  a  quince,  as 
melocotogno  is  the  Italian  for  a  quince  tree.  The  Spanish 
melocoton  is  a  peach  tree  grafted  on  the  quince,  or  the 
fruit  of  this,  but  membrillo  is  the  Spanish  name  of  the 
quince,  as  malum  cotoneum  is  the  Latin  for  a  quince- 
apple.  The  Portuguese  name  is  marmelo,  from  which 
comes  our  marmalade,  a  most  valuable  form  of  pre- 


16  QUINCE  CULTURE. 

serving  the  Portugal  quince,  one  of  the  best  quality. 
In  the  south  of  France,  on  the  border  of  Garonne, 
quinces  are  extensively  raised  to  make  marmalade, 
which  is  called  cotignac,  from  the  Italian.  The  French 
name  of  the  quince  is  coing  or  coignasier,  a  corner,  and 
seems  to  have  been  applied  from  the  old  idea  of  planting 
this  tree  in  a  fence  corner.  The  Dutch  call  the  quince 
Kivepeer,  and  the  Germans  Quitte  or  Quittenbaum,  and 
both  cultivate  it  quite  extensively.  From  Royle's  Illus- 
trations of  the  Himalaya  Mountains  we  learn  that  "The 
quince  plants  introduced  from  Cashmere  do  not  differ 
from  those  already  in  India  (Cydonia  vulgaris).  It  is 
found,  either  in  a  wild  or  cultivated  state,  on  the  ramifi- 
cations of  Taurus  and  Caucasus,  Hindoo-Khoosh  and  the 
Himalayas,  or  in  the  valleys  included  within  them." 
"  They  are  abundant  at  Bokhara  and  other  places  in  the 
north  of  Hindoo-Khoosh." 

It  is  now  found  growing  spontaneously  on  the  banks 
of  the  Danube  and  in  Southern  France.  It  is  also  exten- 
sively cultivated  in  various  parts  of  the  French  Republic, 
especially  at  Angers,  whence  the  stocks  of  young  trees 
are  sent  abroad  by  the  million.  Early  in  the  history  of 
England  we  find  accounts  of  its  culture,  where  it  was 
employed  for  hedges  as  well  as  for  ornament  and  fruit. 
It  seems  to  have  traveled  with  the  march  of  civilization, 
and  been  celebrated  in  song  as  in  mythology. 

The  Pilgrims  early  brought  it  to  New  England,  where 
it  was  cultivated  on  the  rugged  hillsides  and  in  the 
valleys ;  and  as  they  spread  over  the  country  in  their 
migrations,  they  carried  with  them  the  older  varieties 
of  this  fruit.  The  chief  improvements  in  the  varieties 
and  modes  of  cultivation  are  the  result  of  the  last  half 
century's  experience  ;  and  now,  as  we  see  all  parts  of  the 
civilized  world  interested  in  this  fruit,  we  hail  with  joy 
its  progress  and  success. 


STRUCTURE   OF   THE    QUINCE   TREE.  \J  K  ]  ',      17 

CHAPTER    II. 
STRUCTURE   OF  THE  QUINCE  TREE. 

THE  root  and  top  are  the  two  principal  parts  of  all 
trees.  When  raised  from  seed,  a  plant  or  tree  has  first 
of  all  a  main  or  tap-root,  which  goes  down  into  the 
ground,  where  it  ramifies,  and  gives  support  and  nour- 
ishment to  the  top.  The  point  where  the  root  and  top 
meet  is  the  collar  of  the  tree.  Trees  grown  from  cut- 
tings do  not  have  a  tap-root  like  seedlings,  but  make  up 
for  it  by  the  large  number  of  laterals  which  they  send  out. 
The  top,  consisting  of  the  trunk  and  branches,  termi- 
nating in  twigs  with  their  leaves,  is  the  counterpart  to 
the  root  system.  The  quince,  in  these  respects,  differs 
in  no  way  from  other  trees.  The  bark  of  one  year  old 
twigs  and  shoots  is  beautifully  flecked  with  a  thick  dot- 
ting of  light-colored  spots,  called  lenticelles.  They  are 
corky  formations,  having  just  projection  enough  to  give 
a  slight  roughness  to  the  surface. 

The  buds  are  of  two  sorts,  leaf  and  fruit.  The  buds 
of  the  quince  that  produce  fruit  push  out  short  growths 
from  one  to  three  inches  long,  on  the  ends  of  which  are 
the  blossoms  and  fruit.  The  leaf  buds  resemble  them 
at  first,  but  when  expanded  are  destitute  of  the  organs 
of  the  flowers  and  fruit.  The-  quince  makes  its  most 
vigorous  buds  on  the  sides  of  its  shoots  instead  of  the 
ends,  and,  when  well  cultivated,  growth  continues  until 
the  autumn  frosts  nip  the  terminal  buds.  A  large  num- 
ber of  the  buds  are  latent,  and  may  remain  dormant  for 
years.  They  are  Nature's  reserve  to  grow  when  others 
are  destroyed.  When  a  vigorous  shoot  has  been  well  cut 
back,  buds  often  push  on  each  side  of  the  visible  buds, 
giving  three  and  sometimes  more  growths  at  one  place. 
The  latent  buds  are  developed  when  large  branches  are 


18  QUINCE  CULTtTRU. 

cut  back  or  broken  off  by  accident,  or  when  even  the 
whole  head  of  the  tree  has  been  removed.  In  a  very  vig- 
orous tree  it  is  quite  common  to  have  the  buds  push 
their  threefold  development  simultaneously;  the  central 
growth  bearing  the  blossom,  and  those  on  either  side  of 
it  only  making  wood-growth.  Occasionally  two  of  the 
three  bloom  together.  By  observing  the  position  of 
the  buds  along  a  branch,  in  going  the  length  of  five  buds 
you  can  so  prune  as  to  give  any  desired  direction  to  the 
new  growth,  and  thus  form  a  symmetrical  tree. 

*The  leaves,  with  their  stipules,  form  the  foliage  of  the 
tree,  and  seem  to  serve  much  the  same  purpose  for  it  that 
the  lungs  of  animals  do  for  them.  Leaves  not  only  give 
beauty  to  the  tree,  but  are  necessary  to  its  existence. 
They  are  formed  of  a  series  of  veins,  between  which  is 
the  cellular  tissue  or  parenchyma,  which  consists  of 
numerous  cells  of  various  forms,  with  air  spaces  between 
to  increase  the  surface  exposed  to  the  air  and  sunlight. 
There  are  about  25,000  of  these  breathing  pores  in  each 
leaf,  through  which  moisture  and  air  are  received,  and 
vapor  and  carbonic  acid  given  off.  By  this  process  the 
sap  in  the  leaves  is  thickened,  and  the  material  of  woody 
fiber  elaborated.  The  wood  of  trees  is  chiefly  carbon, 
which  the  leaves  have  absorbed  from  the  air.  Their  ni- 
trogen comes  from  the  combined  influence  of  the  air,  the 
sun's  light  and  heat,  the  humus  of  the  soil,  and  the  action 
of  potash.  Analysis  of  the  ashes  shows  that  a  very  small 
part  of  the  constituents  come  from  the  soil.  The  air 
is  an  abundant  storehouse  of  exhaustless  capacity,  full 
of  the  materials  of  plant  growth,  to  which  each  culti- 
vator possesses  a  key.  Every  man  and  air-breathing 
animal  on  earth  is  helping  to  keep  this  atmospheric 
storehouse  filled  with  the  material  of  plant  growth 
by  every  breath  exhaled  ;  and  so  all  animated  creation 
is  at  work  for  the  tiller  of  the  soil.  Not  only  are 
the  leaves  the  laboratory  of  the  growing  wood,  but 


STRUCTURE  OF  THE  QUINCE  TREE.        19 

also  of  the  fruit.  If  we  would  have  perfect  fruit,  we 
must  have  plenty  of  good  healthy  leaves  to  mature  it.  If 
diseases  or  insect  enemies  are  allowed  to  deprive  a  tree  of 
its  leaves,  the  growth  both  of  wood  and  fruit  will  suffer 
accordingly. 

The  flower  of  the  quince  consists  of  a  five-parted  calyx, 
urn-shaped,  of  a  green  color ;  a  corolla  of  five  pinkish 
colored  petals,  quite  broad  at  the  outer  end,  and  five 
styles  in  the  midst  of  many  stamens  that  fructify  the 
seeds.  In  exceptional  cases  there  are  six  petals,  and  oc- 
casionally a  semi-double  blossom  with  ten.  The  seeds 
are  in  five  large  cells,  in  each  of  which  are  two  rows 
of  seeds,  covered  with  a  thick  mucilage.  The  quince 
flowers  in  May,  and  sometimes  a  few  flowers  ap- 
pear in  June.  In  exceptional  seasons  the  quince,  like' 
other  trees,  will  bloom  in  autumn.  I  had  a  young  tree 
bloom  full  in  the  fall,  that  put  out  quite  feebly  the 
next  spring,  and  died  entirely  the  second  year  after. 

The  fruit  is  either  apple  or  pear  shaped,  and  covered 
with  a  white  down,  that  affords  partial  protection  from 
insect  enemies.  If  the  quince  is  gathered  before  it  is 
fully  ripe  it  is  very  slow  in  coloring,  and  may  never  wear 
the  rich  golden  yellow  it  would  if  left  to  mature  as 
Nature  intended.  Though  one  of  the  hardest  of  all 
fruits,  it  is  also  one  of  the  easiest  bruised,  and  then  most 
rapidly  decays.  Early  ripening  varieties  are  not  as  high 
flavored  as  the  later,  and  much  sooner  decay. 

The  life  force  or  vital  principle  acts  on  the  carbon, 
oxygen,  hydrogen,  nitrogen,  and  mineral  matters  which 
are  combined  in  the  formation  of  the  cellular  structure 
of  the  tree  in  all  its  parts.  The  mystery  of  plant  life  is, 
that  the  germ  in  the  seed  has  in  it  the  organizing  power 
that  determines  both  the  form  and  functions  of  the  cells 
by  which  it  builds  up  all  its  growth.  Chemical  analysis 
reveals  the  various  elements  and  their  proportions  in  the 
vegetable  cell;  but  the  utmost  skill  of  the  chemist,  with 


20  QUIKCE   CULTURE. 

all  his  knowledge  <x:  matter,  has  never  enabled  him  to  so 
combine  these  elements  as  to  produce  and  build  up  living 
organic  matter  from  what  comes  to  him  without  life. 


CHAPTER    III. 
VARIETIES   OF    THE    QUINCE. 

THERE  is  a  difference  of  opinion  among  horticulturists 
as  to  what  constitutes  a  variety.  Some  classify  all  the 
varieties  as  being  either  apple  or  pear  quinces,  without 
regard  to  the  other  differences.  Others  class  as  varieties 
all  that  show  distinctive  differences  in  their  habits  of 
growth,  time  of  ripening  their  fruit,  shape,  and  quali- 
ties of  color,  fragrance,  and  flavor.  To  the  latter  class 
the  writer  allies  himself,  and  will  be  governed  in  his  de- 
scriptions accordingly. 

Traveling  over  this  country  from  east  to  west  or  from 
north  to  south,  we  find  a  great  number  of  seedling 
varieties  that  have  no  distinctive  names,  but  are  called 
by  their  possessors  after  the  well-known  varieties  from 
which  they  are  supposed  to  have  sprung,  or  which  they 
most  closely  resemble.  On  this  point  Charles  A.  Green, 
of  the  "Fruit  Grower,"  has  well  said  :  "Almost  every- 
thing in  the  shape  of  a  quince  that  is  not  known  to  be 
Angers  or  Champion  is  called  Orange  quince.  The  race 
of  Orange  quinces  has  sprung  from  numerous  seedlings, 
and  there  are  numerous  types  of  it  all  over  the  country 
that  vary  in  shape,  size,  quality,  and  dates  of  ripening. 
I  have  given  this  matter  the  closest  attention,  and  find 
in  my  travels  that  the  Orange  quince  is  divided  into 
many  strains  coming  from  different  sources.  Quinces 
have  sprung  up  in  gardens,  have  been  planted,  propa- 
gated, and  called  Orange  quince,  for  the  reason  that  they 


VARIETIES   OF  THE   QUINCE. 

• 

resembled  that  quince  more  closely  than  any  other  vari- 
ety. In  many  cases  these  are  not  Orange  quinces,  but 
seedlings  that  vary  considerably.  I  do  not  doubt  but 
that  Meech's  Quince  is  one  of  these  variations  of  the 
Orange  quince,  of  an  improved  type." 

In  harmony  with  this  view  of  Mr.  Green,  I  first  called 
this  variety  the  Pear-shaped  Orange  Quince,  and  only 
consented  to  change  it  to  Meech's  Prolific  when  my  hor- 
ticultural friends  showed  that  it  needed  a  different  name 
to  avoid  being  confounded  with  some  of  the  other  pear- 
shaped  varieties.  I  have  seen  samples  of  half  a  dozen 
seedlings  grown  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  each 
of  which  was  clearly  distinct  in  tree  or  fruit,  or  both. 
A  seedling  tree  in  Philadelphia  bears  a  very  pretty  quince 
having  the  marks  of  the  old  Orange  quince.  At  Jen- 
kintown,  Pennsylvania,  is  a  seedling  tree  growing  more 
upright  than  its  parent,  but  the  fruit  very  closely  re- 
sembles it.  In  Bridgeton,  New  Jersey,  is  a  seedling  that 
produces  a  beautiful  specimen  of  the  obscure  pyriform  of 
mild  acid  quality.  In  Millville,  New  Jersey,  is  a  seed- 
ling shaped  like  an  apple,  except  that  it  is  very  deeply 
ribbed  from  the  blossom  to  the  stem  all  around.  In 
Vineland  there  are  two  good  seedlings  of  the  apple  and 
pear  shapes,  and  each  of  them  an  improvement  on  its 
ancestry.  So,  no  doubt,  close  observers  will  find  it  all 
over  the  country.  The  fruit  books  and  catalogues  oifer 
but  a  very  short  list  of  varieties.  I  here  give,  in  alpha- 
betical order,  the  varieties  of  most  importance,  as  now 
found  in  cultivation,  with  a  few  not  very  commonly  found. 

1.  ANGER'S  QUINCE  (Cydoniavulgaris).  —  This  variety 
has  a  remarkably  strong  and  vigorous  root  system,  which 
has  made  it  valuable  as  a  stock  for  dwarfing  the  pear. 
The  nurserymen  of  this  country  import  large  quantities 
of  these  stocks  every  year  for  this  purpose  ;  and  for  the 
Champion  quince,  which  succeeds  better  on  them  than 
on  its  own  roots. 


22 


QUINCE   CULTURE. 


In  my  experience  the  Angers  has  been  very  uncertain. 
Sometimes  it  is  entirely  barren,  and  then,  again,  bears 
abundantly.  The  fruit  varies  from  the  shape  of  the 
apple  to  the  pear,  having  generally  a  modified  form 


Fig.  1. 


Fig.  2. 

ANGERS— THREE    FORMS. 


Fig.   3. 


between  them.  Sometimes  it  attains  to  a  weight  of 
twenty  ounces.  The  fruit  ripens  quite  late  in  the  fall, 
and  will  keep  well  in  a  common  cellar,  like  apples.  The 
flesh  is  a  little  coarser  than  that  of  the  Orange. 

2.  APPLE  or  OKANGE  QUINCE  (Cydonia  vulgaris  v. 
maliformis).  This  is  generally  known  simply  as  the  Orange 
quince.  Some  speak  of  the  Apple  quince  as  distinct  from 
the  Orange;  but,  as  generally  understood,  they  ar&one  and 
the  same  variety.  One  old  author  speaks  of  the  Orange 
and  Angers  as  one  and  the  same ;  but  he  could  hardly 
make  a  clearer  mistake.  The  Orange  variety  is  most 
cultivated  in  New  York  and  New  England,  probably 
because  of  its  early  ripening. 

The  old  Orange  quince  tree  is  very  readily  distinguished 
by  the  trunk  and  larger  limbs  having  very  rough  excres- 
cences all  around  them  at  very  short  intervals.  The 
color  of  the  leaves  and  of  the  bark  on  young  twigs  is 
perceptibly  lighter  than  on  the  other  varieties,  includ- 


VARIETIES   OF  THE   QUINCE. 


ing  seedlings.  The  strains  of  the  Orange  quince  that 
have  evidently  sprung  from  its  seeds,  will  generally  be 
found  to  have  smoother  trunks,  with  deeper  color  of 
leaves  and  of  the  bark  on  the  twigs.  The  shape  of  the 
fruit  in  the  old  Orange  quince  is  like  a  Khode  Island 
Greening  apple  or  a  Fallawater.  It  is  often  broad- 
ened toward  the  stem,  and  occasionally  shapes  up  to 
the  stem  like  a  Seckel  pear.  In  some  of  the  newer 
strains  the  whole  body  of  the  fruit  is  more  elongated. 
The  color  is  a  rich  orange,  which  is  often  marred  by 
red  spots  as  the  fruit  matures  ;  and  when  fully  ripe 


i£.  4. — ORANGE,  OLD  TYPE. 


5.— ORANGE,  SEEDLING. 


these  spots  sink  below  the  surface,  and  after  a  little 
while  become  centers  of  decay.  This  decay  is  frequently 
seen  while  the  fruit  is  yet  on  the  tree.  The  flesh  is 
generally  tender,  and  the  flavor  good,  though  not  as 
high  as  in  varieties  that  ripen  later.  This  lack  of  high 
flavor  is  much  more  noticeable  in  New  Jersey  and  fur- 
ther South,  where  it  ripens  about  the  middle  of  Sep- 
tember, when  the  weather  is  hot,  than  in  New  York  and 
further  North,  where  it  ripens  later,  and  cooler  weather 
brings  the  fruit  to  a  higher  perfeetion. 

The  time  of  ripening  in  all  places  will  vary  with  the 
variations  of  the  season.     Trees  in  very  full  bearing  will 


24  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

take  longer  to  perfect  the  fruit.  I  have  seen  a  difference 
of  two  weeks,  which  was  clearly  attributable  to  this  cause. 
A  fair  weight  for  the  Orange  quince  is  about  half  a  pound; 
but  in  favorable  circumstances  it  will  come  up  to  a  pound, 
and  has  reached  twenty-two  ounces.  In  many  parts  of 
the  United  States  it  has  long  been  the  most  popular 
variety,  though  some  of  the  seedlings  which  bear  this 
name  are  inferior. 

3.  THE  CHAMPION  QUINCE. — This  variety  is  one  of 
those  but  lately  brought  to  public  notice.   It  is  described 


Fig.  6.— CHAMPION.  Fig.  7.— CHINESE. 

as  being  "obscure  pyriform,  between  the  shape  of  an 
apple  and  a  pear,  with  the  stem  inserted  at  the  base  of  an 
unusually  prominent  lip,  and  inclined  ;  the  skin  a  lively 
yellow,  strongly  russeted  for  a  short  distance  around  the 
stem  ;  calyx  set  in  a  remarkably  deep  and  strongly  corru- 
gated basin."  The  tree  is  very  vigorous,  and  comes  early 
into  bearing.  The  fruit  is  larger  than  the  Orange.  It 
ripens  later  than  any  other  quince,  and  has  been  grown 
to  weigh  twenty-four  ounces. 


VARIETIES   OF   THE   QUINCE. 


It  is  especially  difficult  to  propagate  from  its  own  cut- 
tings. The  growing  shoots  have  a  very  dark  color,  which 
is  peculiarly  its  own,  and  distinguishes  it  from  others. 
It  is  unusually  subject  to  blight  in  some  parts  of  the 
country.  In  some  sections  it  grows  vigorously  and  bears 
abundantly,  while  in  others  it  is  a  very  moderate  grower, 
and  bears  accordingly. 

4.  CHINESE  QUINCE  (Cydonia  Sinensis)  is  a  variety 
cultivated  for  ornament.     In  the  Southern  States  it  is  in 
favor  for  its  fruit,  which  sometimes  attains  a  weight  of 
two  and  a  half  pounds.     I  have  found  the  quality  good 
for  a  preserve,  though  the  grain  is  a  little  coarse.     The 
tree  grows  to  the  hight  of  thirty  feet  or  more.     The  fo- 
liage  assumes  a  beautiful  red  tint    in   autumn.     The 
flowers  are  rosy  red,  with  a  violet  odor.     It  blooms  in 
May.     The  fruit  is  very  large,  smooth,  oblong-oval,  and 
of  a  greenish  yellow.     The  flesh  is  firm;  and  when  pre- 
served turns  to  a  beautiful  pink.     It  ripens  late,  and 
keeps  a  long  time  in  sound  condition. 

This  quince  was  taken  to  Holland  at  the  close  of  the 
last  century,  and  to  France  in  the  beginning  of  this, 
and  fruited  in  the  Jardin  du  Roi  in  1811.  It  proved 
hardy  in  Paris,  but  the  season  was  short  for  its  fruit  to 
ripen  well.  It  succeeds  in  the  West  Indies,  and  in  the 
United  States  south  of  Maryland.  To  swell  some  cata- 
logues the  Chinese  quince  trees  have  been  called  Hong 
Kong  and  Lutea. 

5.  DE  BOURGEAUT  is  a  late  French  sort,  described  as 
"  Feathered  trees,"  and  in  appearance  looks  quite  differ- 
ent from  any  other  variety. 

*6.  FONTENAY  or  NEW  UPRIGHT. — This  derives  its 
name  from  its  upright  form.  It  is  slender  and  branching, 
and  forms  small,  compact  trees.  The  bark  is  very  light 
green.  Its  cuttings  root  very  readily.  It  is  used  for  stocks. 
7.  FULLER  QUINCE. — This  new  variety  was  discovered 
about  twenty  years  ago  by  A.  S.  Fuller,  at  Ridgewood, 


26  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

Bergen  County,  N.  J.,  on  the  grounds  of  a  neighbor, 
from  whom  he  obtained  cuttings  and  propagated  a  few 
trees.  The  original  tree  was  broken  down  and  com- 


Fig.   8.— FULLER. 

pletely  destroyed  by  the  workmen  while  building  a  new 
house,  and  but  for  the  timely  notice  @f  Mr.  Fuller  would 
have  been  lost  to  the  world.  The  beauty  of  the  fruit, 


VARIETIES   OF  THE   QUINCE.  2? 

when  it  assumed  a  rich  golden  yellow  early  in  the  season, 
was  what  first  arrested  Mr.  Fuller's  attention.  "It  is 
large  and  uniformly  pear-shaped,  occasionally  with  a  long 
slender  neck,  not  larger  than  a  man's  thumb.  Flesh 
fine-grained,  with  very  little  of  the  usual  grittiness  com- 
mon to  the  quince. "  Dr.  Thurber  adds  to  these  points 
of  Mr.  Fuller's  description,  that  the  surface  is  somewhat 
ridged,  that  the  calyx  is  set  in  a  deep,  wide  basin,  and 
that  the  flesh  is  remarkably  tender  and  well-flavored. 
The  specimen  figured  weighed  nineteen  ounces. 

8.  THE  JAPANESE  QUINCE  ( Cydonia  Japonica)  is  the 
well-known  flowering  quince  of  our  gardens,  and  is  con- 
spicuous in  early  spring  for  its  brilliant  flowers.     It  is  a 
thorny,  straggling,  and  bushy  plant,  sen  ding  up  numerous 
suckers,  which  admirably  adapt  it  for  forming  hedges,  for 
which  purpose  it  is  often  used.     The  fruit  is  generally 
elliptical,  but   often  resembles   a  peach.     The  color  is 
greenish  yellow,  often  with  blushing  cheeks.     The  flesh 
is  very  hard  and  firm,  but  strongly  aromatic.     The  jelly 
made  from  it  is  excellent.     It  will  flavor  two  or  three 
times  its  own  bulk  of  other  fruits.     The  scarlet  flowers 
of  the  Japonica,  as  they  open  among  the  first  blossoms 
of  spring,  are  unsurpassed  in   their  brilliancy  and  the 
charm  they  impart. 

9.  MEECH'S  PROLIFIC  QUINCE. — This  variety  is  the 
most  uniformly  prolific  of  all  known  varieties.     So  far 
as  I  have  been  able  to  trace  its  history,  it  originated  in 
Connecticut  over  thirty  years  ago,  and  was  slightly  dis- 
tributed under  the  name  of  the  Orange  quince,  or  with- 
out any  specific  name.     Some  trees  were  taken  to  New 
York,  Ohio,  and  New  Jersey,  but  no   general   attention 
was  attracted  to  its  merits  until  the  stock  came  into  the 
hands  of  the  author,  who,  after  testing  it  beside  other 
sorts,  published  in   1883   an  article   in  the   American 
Agriculturist,  describing  it  under  the  name  of  the  Pear- 
shaped  Orange  Quince.     The  article  attracted  the  atten- 


28  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

tion  of  the  venerable  Charles  Downing,  who  wrote 
that  he  judged,  from  the  description,  it  was  a  new  va- 
riety, in  which  opinion  he  was  fully  confirmed  by  a 
subsequent  examination  of  the  fruit.  He  expressed  his 
belief  not  only  that  it  was  "an  acquisition  to  the  quince 


Fig.  9. — MEECH'S  PROLIFIC. 

family,"  but  "  worthy  of  general  cultivation."     So  far  as 
tested,  it  has  justified  his  good  opinion. 

The  trees  of  this  variety  are  exceedingly  vigorous, 
fully  equaling,  if  not  exceeding,  the  Angers.  The  trunk 
is  smooth,  and  entirely  free  from  the  excrescences  of  some 
other  kinds.  The  bark  of  the  young  twigs  is  darker  than 


VARIETIES  OF  THE  QUINCE.  29 

that  of  the  Orange,  and  is  beautifully  flecked  with  len- 
ticelles.  The  leaves  are  very  broad  in  proportion  to  their 
length,  fnd  of  a  deep  shade  of  green.  The  blossoms 
are  very  large.  The  buds  have  been  substituted  for 
those  of  the  rose  in  floral  designs  with  happy  effect.  It 
is  not  uncommon  for  one  year  old  trees  to  blossom  in  the 
nursery  rows,  and  occasionally  bear  fruit  to  ripeness. 
Such  trees,  after  being  transplanted,  have  uniformly 
borne  every  year  after,  so  that  I  could  show  the  horti- 
cultural wonder  of  fruit  on  every  age  from  one  to  twelve 
years. 

The  fruit  is  obscure  pyriform,  very  large,  of  a  bright 
golden  yellow,  exceedingly  fragrant,  and  of  high  flavor. 
The  skin  is  of  a  very  fine  texture.  The  cup  of  the  stem 
end  is  very  small,  and  often  entirely  wanting ;  that  of 
the  blossom  end  is  not  as  large  as  in  most  other  varieties, 
and  is  less  corrugated.  The  superiority  of  the  fruit  in 
crates  or  cans  has  been  well  proved  by  the  highest  prices 
in  the  home  markets  as  well  as  in  the  large  cities. 
The  time  of  ripening,  early  in  October,  has  been  found  to 
suit  all  classes  by  coming  to  the  tradesman  and  consumer 
between  the  earliest  and  latest,  when  the  season  favors 
its  highest  perfection.  It  has  weighed  as  high  as  eighteen 
ounces  on  full-bearing  trees,  though  twelve  to  fifteen  is 
a  good  size,  giving  seventeen  fruits  to  the  rounded  peck. 

A  Frenchman  has  this  in  his  catalogue:  " Meech's 
Prolific. — Remarkable  for  its  productiveness,  uniformity 
in  size,  regularity  in  bearing,  and  superior  quality.  It 
meets  every  requirement  of  a  perfect  quince." 

10.  MISSOUKI  MAMMOTH  QUINCE. — This  variety  origi- 
nated in  Massachusetts.  It  was  carried  to  Ohio,  and 
from  there  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  by  J.  M.  Slocum, 
who  sold  the  stock  to  S.  C.  Palmer,  by  whom  it  has  been 
disseminated.  After  being  tested  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
years,  it  was  accepted  with  so  much  favor  as  to  receive 
the  commendation  of  the  Missouri  Valley  Horticultural 


30  QUINCE    CULTURE. 

Society,  and  from  that  Society  received  its  name.  The 
description  of  the  tree  is,  that  it  is  a  healthy  and  vigor- 
ous grower,  very  productive,  and  a  regular  bearer  ;  that 
"when  planted  at  one  year  old,  and  well  handled,  it 
will  bear  in  five  years,"  and  "after  it  comes  well  into 


Fig.   10. — MISSOURI    MAMMOTH. 

bearing  the  yield  is  from  one  to  two  bushels  per  tree." 
The  fruit,  which  "ripens  about  the  time  of  the  Orange, 
is  very  large,  pyriform  in  shape,  and  very  rich  and 
aromatic."  The  stem  is  set  in  a  broad  basin,  and  the 
cup  of  the  blossom  end  is  deeply  corrugated. 

11.  MUSK   or  PINEAPPLE    QUINCE. — This  is  an  old 


VARIETIES   OF  THE   QUINCE. 


variety,  that  produces  a  large  fruit,  but  is  now  discarded. 
It  had  its  celebrity  in  this  country  fifty  years  ago.  The 
Musk  was  one  of  the  sorts  spoken  of  by  Columella. 

12.  PEAK  QUINCE  (Cydonia  vulgaris  v.  ollonga).  —  It 
receives  its  name  from  being  shaped  like  a  pear,  oblong, 
and  tapering  to  the  stem.  The  fruit  is  yellow,  the  flesh 
a  little  darker  than  the  Orange,  and  much  tougher,  be- 
coming woody  around  the  core.  It  is  of  medium  size, 
and  though  one  of  the  oldest,  is  also  one  of  the  poorest 
varieties.  It  ripens  much  later  than  the  Orange.  Its 


Fig.   11.— PEAR. 


Fig.   12. — PORTUGAL. 


chief  excellence  is  its  high  flavor.     It  is  now  little  culti- 
vated, better  sorts  taking  its  place. 

13.  THE  PORTUGAL  QUINCE  (Cydonia  vulgaris  v. 
Lusitanica)  is  the  earliest  ripening  of  all  the  varieties, 
being  ten  days  earlier  than  the  Orange  quince.  It  is 
not  a  vigorous  grower,  but  has  been  used  for  stocks.  The 
leaf  is  a  little  longer  and  wider  in  proportion  than  the 
Orange  quince.  The  trunk  and  branches  are  peculiarly 
marked  by  excrescences  as  smooth  as  those  on  the  old 
Orange  are  rough.  The  fruit  is  large,  a  little  oblong, 
tapering  from  the  middle  each  way,  like  a  Kieffer  pear. 


32  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

The  quality  is  excellent.  When  cooked  the  flesh  turns 
purple  or  crimson.  The  color  of  this  variety  is  a  very 
bright  yellow.  The  reason  it  is  so  little  cultivated  is 
that  it  is  so  shy  a  bearer. 

14.  REA'S  SEEDLING,  or  REA'S  MAMMOTH,  was  raised 

by  Joseph  Rea,  of  Coxsac- 
kie,  Greene  County,  N.  Y. 
It  is  believed  to  be  a  seed- 
ling of  the  Orange,  though 
in  shape  it  is  obscure  pyri- 
form.  It  ripens  later  than 
the  Orange,  and  keeps 
very  well  after  ripening. 
The  flavor  is  excellent. 
It  has  attained  a  weight 
of  twenty-two  ounces  in 


To  attain  full  size  the  tree 
needs  high  culture  with  good  thinning.  But  for  the 
tenderness  of  the  trees  in  some  localities,  this  variety 
must  have  reached  a  much  wider  dissemination. 

15.  THE  SWEET  QUINCE.  —  This  variety  is  so  named 
because  the  fruit  is  mildly  acid  and  not  very  astringent. 
The  tree  is  a  good  grower  and  bears  abundantly.  T.  B. 
Jenkins,  of  Oh  amber  sbnrg,  Penn.,  says  this  variety  was 
raised  from  seed  about  1830,  and  has  been  a  regular 
bearer.  The  fruit  is  described  as  being  medium  to 
large,  roundish  oblate,  and  somewhat  ribbed  ;  color  yel- 
low, but  not  so  bright  as  the  Orange.  The  stem  is  set 
in  a  broad,  dull  brown,  and  rough,  knob-like  projection, 
while  the  calyx  has  large,  long  segments,  set  in  a  deep 
basin  much  corrugated.  The  flesh  is  firm  and  of  a  deep 
yellow,  coarse  grained,  a  little  tough,  and  not  very  juicy. 


SOILS  FOR  THE  QUItfCE.  33 

CHAPTER    IV. 
SOILS   FOR   THE   QUINCE. 

THERE  is  a  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  what  kind  of  soil  is 
best  suited  for  the  quince.  One  class  of  observers,  who 
have  seen  this  fruit  growing  in  high  perfection  in  the  rich 
accumulations  washed  down  from  the  hill-sides  for  ages, 
insist  on  a  moist  or  alluvial  soil.  Others,  with  a  suc- 
cessful experience  in  a  light  sandy  loam,  may  favor  that. 
Others  still,  observing  that  quinces  grow  successfully  on 
all  kinds  of  soil,  except  dry  sand  or  wet  swamps,  would 
plant  it  anywhere,  from  the  low  lands  along  the  sea-coast, 
or  margins  of  lakes  and  ponds,  streams  and  rivers,  to  the 
higher  plains  and  table-lands,  or  on  the  hill-sides  and 
hill-tops  of  quite  elevated  locations. 

This  fruit  has  attained  high  perfection  in  the  moun- 
tain regions  of  Georgia,  and  North  and  South  Carolina. 
J.  Van  Buren,  of  Clarksville,  Georgia,  says  :  "  It  is  not 
unusual  to  raise  quinces  five  to  five  and  a  half  inches  in 
diameter,  fair,  smooth,  and  beautiful,  and  of  high  flavor." 

The  quince  adapts  itself  to  different  soils  and  circum- 
stances with  remarkable  success.  The  soil  may  have 
a  preponderance  of  sand,  gravel,  or  clay,  and  yet  be  rich 
in  those  fertilizing  materials  which  adapt  it  to  all  wants. 
An  analysis  of  the  wood,  bark,  and  fruit  will  show  that 
the  soil  and  atmosphere  together  have  supplied  it  with 
potash  and  lime,  soda  and  silica,  alum  and  iron,  mag- 
nesia and  chlorine,  phosphoric,  sulphuric,  and  carbonic 
acids,  and  moisture.  To  these  add  decaying  animal  and 
vegetable  matter,  with  needed  water,  light,  heat,  elec- 
tricity, and  the  aerial  gases,  and  we  have  the  perfection 
of  fertility.  A  heavy  clay  soil  will  be  improved  by  the 
addition  of  sand  or  silica,  because  it  will  make  it  warmer, 
and  more  open  and  friable.  A  light,  sandy  soil,  will  be 


34  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

made  better  by  the  addition  of  clay  or  alumina,  because 
it  will  make  it  more  compact  and  retentive  of  moisture. 
Lime  and  chalk  will  produce  effects  intermediate  be- 
tween the  silica  and  alumina.  The  mechanical  condition 
will  be  found  quite  as  important  as  the  chemical  constitu- 
tion of  the  soil.  When  the  mineral  elements  of  fertility 
near  the  surface  become  too  much  reduced  or  exhausted 
by  long  cultivation,  it  will  be  helpful  to  work  the  soil 
deeper,  bringing  up  the  reserve  forces ;  or  by  the  addi- 
tion of  a  perfect  fertilizer,  the  growth  will  go  forward 
with  success. 

In  selecting  soils,  the  first  choice  should  be  a  strong 
loam,  with  enough  sand  in  its  composition  to  make 
it  work  easy.  In  a  deep,  strong  soil  the  trees  should 
not  be  expected  to  come  into  as  early  bearing  as  in 
the  sandy  soil,  because  the  greater  vigor  of  growth 
does  not  so  soon  tend  to  the  formation  of  fruit  buds ; 
but  when  they  do  bear  they  make  up  for  any  lost  time 
by  the  abundance  and  quality  of  the  fruit,  and  greater 
longevity,  and  immunity  from  disease.  A  gravelly  loam, 
if  not  too  gravelly,  is  the  second  choice,  because  it  comes 
the  nearest  to  the  first  in  all  the  more  desirable  qualities. 
A  light,  sandy  soil  is  the  next  choice.  It  is  a  very  de- 
sirable soil  on  many  accounts  ;  and  where  it  has  a  clayey 
subsoil,  as  in  my  Vineland  orchard,  excellent  results  may 
be  attained.  It  is  not  every  one  who  can  have  his  choice 
of  soils,  and  it  must  suffice  to  use  the  very  best  available. 
After  an  experience  of  over  twelve  years  with  -a  light, 
sandy  loam,  I  am  well  satisfied  with  its  advantages.  It 
is  easily  worked,  yields  excellent  returns,  and  maintains 
a  healthy  growth.  The  clayey  soil  is  chiefly  objectionable 
on  account  of  its  being  often  too  wet  and  heavy.  Where 
the  clay  is  not  in  excess,  this  soil  is  capable  of  being 
drained  and  otherwise  improved,  so  as  to  give  promise  of 
good  results.  If  only  the  proper  cultivation  be  given, 
any  soil  that  will  yield  good  crops  of  corn  and  potatoes 


SOILS  FOR  THE  QUIHCE.  35 

may  be  used  for  the  quince.  This  is  especially  true  all 
along  the  sea-coast  of  the  New  England  and  the  Middle 
States. 

In  many  sections  of  the  country,  soils  of  all  these 
varieties  will  be  found  along  the  rivers.  There  will  be, 
first,  the  alluvial  of  the  river  basin  in  a  strip  along  the 
river  bank,  varying  in  width,  and  overflowed  every  year 
by  freshets,  which  leave  it  more  or  less  enriched  by  silt. 
Then,  secondly,  there  will  be  the  belt  of  sandy  soil, 
usually  a  rich  loam,  suited  for  almost  every  kind  of  crop. 
Back  of  this,  and  rising  on  the  hill-side,  is  the  more 
sandy  and  gravelly  land,  of  variable  quality,  and  more 
affected  by  droughts.  The  middle  belt  is  preferable  for 
the  quince,  as,  indeed,  it  is  for  most  other  crops.  But 
on  them  all  the  quince  will  succeed  by  skilful  manage- 
ment. 

The  quality  of  the  fruit  on  a  wet  soil  is  much  more 
woody  and  astringent  than  on  a  rich  and  well-drained  soil. 
A  wet  soil  is  always  inimical  to  successful  fruit  culture. 
If  for  any  cause  it  is  desired  to  plant  trees  where  a  wet 
and  heavy  soil  cannot  be  properly  drained,  the  ground 
should  be  raised  enough  for  the  surplus  water  to  pass  off ; 
though  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  amount  of  drainage 
can  make  a  spot  so  situated  profitable  for  this  purpose. 
Excessive  moisture  is  as  bad  as  want  of  water. 

A  soil  that  is  too  dry  will  retain  needed  moisture  in 
the  heat  of  summer  by  being  well  cultivated.  A  hard 
and  shallow  soil,  by  being  worked  deep,  and  thoroughly 
mellowed,  will  resist  drought  successfully.  But  if  the  sub- 
soil be  clayey  we  must  not  deepen  so  as  to  make  the  soil 
hold  water  like  a  basin.  In  deepening  a  clay  soil  very 
much  we  may  necessitate  drainage.  Water-soaked  roots 
are  no  better  for  the  health  of  the  tree  than  wet  feet  are 
for  the  health  of  man. 


36  QUIKCE  CULTURE. 

CHAPTER    V. 
MANURES  FOR  THE  QUINCE. 

WHATEVER  can  be  used  to  increase  the  fertility  of  the 
soil  by  supplying  plant  food  is  a  manure.  The  chemical 
analysis  of  any  plant  will  show  its  constituents,  and  give 
the  relative  proportion  of  each,  and  so  serve  as  a  guide 
in  supplying  what  that  plant  needs.  About  nine- tenths 
are  water  and  air ;  the  rest  is  made  up  of  earths  and 
metals,  as  lime,  clay,  iron,  magnesia,  silex,  potash,  and 
soda,  with  gases  and  combustibles,  as  oxygen,  hydrogen, 
nitrogen,  chlorine,  carbon,  sulphur,  and  phosphorus. 
In  the  process  of  growth  the  plant  selects  such  of  these 
as  its  nature  demands ;  and  when  it  dies  and  decays  it 
restores  to  the  earth  these  elements  of  fertility. 

Artificial  fertilizers  are  made  by  mechanically  com- 
bining in  desired  proportions  the  elements  of  plant  food, 
to  supply  any  deficiency  of  the  soil  under  cultivation. 
The  action  of  any  manure  depends  on  its  soluble  salts. 
"The  salts  contain  the  sulphur, phosphorus,  and  carbon, 
as  sulphuric  acid,  phosphoric  acid,  and  carbonic  acid, 
and  the  chlorine  as  muriatic  acid." 

All  animal  and  vegetable  matters  in  the  process  of 
decomposition  form  ammonia.  It  is  estimated  that  the 
annual  rainfall  on  an  acre  brings  to  the  soil  enough 
ammonia  and  nitric  acid  from  the  air  to  equal  one  hun- 
dred pounds  of  guano.  The  soil,  to  get  the  full  benefit 
of  this  atmospheric  manure,  must  be  kept  porous  to 
receive  it,  and  well  drained  that  it  may  not  run  off  on  its 
surface.  When  fire  consumes  vegetation,  its  gases  return 
to  the  air,  leaving  as  ashes  the  earthy  matters  drawn  from 
the  soil.  In  the  process  of  decomposition  the  result  is 
the  same,  only  the  combustion  is  slower. 

Wood  ashes  contain  all  the  elements  of  plant  food  ex- 
cept nitrogen.  Two  and  a  half  tons  of  seasoned  hard 


MANURES   FOR   THE   QUINCE. 

wood  yield,  a  bushel  of  ashes.  In  one  hundred  pounds 
of  such  ashes  there  are  about  sixteen  pounds  of  potash, 
which  is  needful  to  good  fruit.  There  are  next  three 
and  a  half  pounds  of  soda,  five  and  a  quarter  pounds  of 
phosphoric  acid,  and  sixty-seven  pounds  of  lime  and 
magnesia.  A  mixture  of  one  part  ashes  with  three  parts 
of  chip  dirt  is  an  excellent  top  dressing  for  the  orchard. 
When  the  needed  potash  can  not  be  had  in  wood  ashes, 
a  substitute  may  be  made  of  the  muriate  or  the  sulphate 
of  potash.  Nitrate  of  soda  and  muriate  of  potash  im- 
prove the  quality  of  acid  fruits.  Lime  is  valuable  in 
most  soils  by  its  solvent  effects  on  the  silica  they  con- 
tain. If  lime  be  found  in  the  ashes  of  a  plant,  it  will  be 
valuable  as  a  fertilizer  of  that  plant ;  and  such  is  the 
case  with  all  hard  wood  trees  like  the  quince.  It  also 
improves  the  fruit. 

Salt  is  so  valuable  to  the  quince,  that  it  must  be  con- 
sidered indispensable  to  its  highest  success.  I  no  longer 
think  of  raising  quinces  without  salting  every  spring 
before  the  trees  begin  to  grow.  I  have  learned  not  only 
to  salt  my  quince  trees,  but  my  pear  trees  as  well.  It 
does  them  good  not  only  in  promoting  a  healthy  growth, 
but  I  think  acts  as  a  preventive  of  the  blight,  to  which 
both  are  subject.  It  may  do  this  by  its  chlorine  or  by 
its  soda,  or  by  both  combined,  through  the  spongioles  of 
the  roots  effecting  a  change  in  the  sap  and  the  wood. 
We  know  not  how,  but  have  found  the  effect  favorable. 
Besides  these  effects  it  also  promotes  fruitfulness.  I  sowed 
about  three  quarts  (the  quantity  for  a  tree  large  enough 
to  bear  a  bushel)  around  a  barren  tree  early  one  spring, 
and  the  year  after  it  bore  well,  and  so  continued  from 
year  to  year.  Quince  trees  along  the  sea-coast  may  be 
expected  to  do  well.  Trees  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island, 
that  were  set  for  screens  in  exposed  places,  yielded  ex- 
cellent crops  of  very  fine  quinces.  Salt  acts  as  a  solvent 
of  other  materials  of  fertility  locked  up  in  the  soil.  In 


38  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

land  fertilized  a  long  time  with  superphosphates,  there 
is  an  accumulation  of  fertilizing  material  that  salt  makes 
available.  The  lime  and  phosphoric  acid  lock  up  what 
the  salt  liberates.  As  good  results  were  obtained  with 
one  quarter  salt  and  three  quarters  phosphate,  as  from 
all  phosphate  without  the  salt.  The  salt  and  phosphate 
in  equal  parts  produced  a  fine  crop  of  corn  on  a  mucky 
soil.  Two  hundred  pounds  of  salt  on  three-fourths  of 
an  acre  gave  me  the  best  crop  of  German  millet  I  ever 
grew.  It  will  be  found  valuable  with  quinces,  pears, 
plums,  peaches,  and  apples. 

Heavy  soils  will  usually  be  found  to  contain  enough 
potash,  but  in  an  insoluble  condition.  Ordinarily  a 
good  top  dressing  of  salt  will  make  this  potash  available 
to  promote  a  fruitful  condition.  The  German  potash 
salt,  kainit,  and  muriate  of  potash  will  be  found  service- 
able to  most  orchards.  Nitrogenous  manures  stimulate 
the  growth  of  leaves  more  than  the  fruit.  The  mineral 
manures,  such  as  potash  and  salt,  aid  most  in  perfecting 
the  fruit,  especially  the  seeds,  the  thing  of  greatest  effort 
in  Nature's  laboratory. 

The  value  of  any  fertilizer  is  determined  by  the  amount 
of  potash,  phosphoric  acid,  and  nitrogen  it  contains. 
Nitrogen  is  expensive  as  an  ingredient  in  the  commercial 
fertilizer,  and  if  it  can  be  obtained  free  from  the  air,  it 
will  be  a  very  great  saving  to  us. 

"The  atmosphere  is  chiefly  composed  of  oxygen  and 
nitrogen ;  and  water,  of  oxygen  and  hydrogen;  and  as 
there  is  always  in  the  air  more  or  less  water,  the  element 
hydrogen  is  always  present.  Now  under  certain  circum- 
stances, the  nitrogen  and  hydrogen  combine  in  the  air  and 
form  ammonia.  The  oxygen  and  hydrogen  in  the  air  are 
supposed  not  to  be  united  in  a  chemical  combination,  but 
to  form  merely  a  mixture.  Hence  this  nitrogen  is  called 
the  free  nitrogen  of  the  air,  as  distinguished  from  that  in 
ammonia,  which  is  not  free," 


MANURES   FOE   THE   QUINCE.  39 

Accepting  the  theory  of  the  chemists,  that  "  somehow 
or  other  plants  take  nitrogen  from  the  air,"  it  is  probable 
that  they  take  it  in  the  form  of  ammonia,  and  not  as 
free  nitrogen.  But  free  or  combined,  it  is  evident  from 
'  experience  that  most  soils  will  be  improved  by  the  appli- 
cation of  a  quantity  beyond  all  that  is  supplied  from  the 
air.  The  fact  that  the  leaves  of  plants  absorb  gases  should 
convince  us  that  they  may  take  nitrogen,  either  free  or 
combined,  though  it  does  not  combine  very  readily  with 
other  substances.  Lawes  and  Gilbert,  from  experiments 
conducted  under  glass,  concluded  that  plants  could  not 
take  up  the  free  nitrogen  of  the  air.  Professor  Atwood, 
from  experiments  conducted  in  the  open  air,  arrived  at 
the  opposite  conclusion. 

The  supply  of  phosphoric  acid  from  ground  bones  is 
never  out  of  place  in  the  quince  orchard ;  and  if  the 
bones  are  first  treated  with  sulphuric  acid,  their  action 
will  be  more  speedy.  Bones  in  lye,  or  hard  wood  ashes 
kept  wet  for  a  very  long  time,  will  become  useful  without 
grinding,  as  they  soften  and  crumble. 

The  quince  is  a  great  feeder,  and  has  the  faculty  of 
using  all  kinds  of  manures.  "When  I  plant  trees  I  fill 
the  large  holes  with  rich  earth.  The  chip  dirt  of  the 
wood  pile  mixed  with  the  top  soil  of  the  hole  is  good. 
The  surface  soil  of  the  poultry-yard  to  the  depth  of  two 
or  three  inches  is  excellent.  Road  wash  from  the  gutters 
of  the  highway  does  well ;  and  better  still  are  the  glean- 
ings of  the  street  gutters  of  the  village.  Trees  well  set  in 
these  rich  earths  grow  well  to  a  bearing  age,  when  they 
should  be  annually  supplied  with  plenty  of  good  manure. 
Their  annual  growth  is  a  safe  guide  to  needed  treatment. 
If  the  shoots  grow  less  than  a  foot  every  year,  they  need 
feeding  or  pruning,  and  probably  both.  Manure  may 
be  applied  to  the  trees  by  all  the  usual  methods  at 
any  season  of  the  year,  but  better  in  the  fall  and  spring 
than  late  in  summer.  Old  and  feeble  trees  have  been 


40  QUIKCE   CULTURE. 

rejuvenated  by  liberal  manuring  combined  with  judicious 
pruning.  A  feeble  or  a  starved  tree,  if  it  bear  at  all,  will 
only  yield  small  fruit  of  indifferent  quality.  As  much 
as  ten  bushels  of  salt  may  be  sown  on  an  acre  if  the  soil 
is  good ;  but  a  poor  soil  will  not  bear  heavy  salting  with- 
out injury. 

Many  will  not  be  able  to  secure  all  the  manure  they 
need  from  common  sources,  and  will  of  necessity  have 
recourse  to  chemical  fertilizers.  To  such  I  would  recom- 
mend ammonia,  about  three  per  cent  (the  sulphate  of 
ammonia  may  be  bought,  of  twenty-five  per  cent  purity); 
phosphoric  acid,  about  ten  per  cent,  equal  to  phosphate 
of  lime  twenty  per  cent ;  potash,  about  twelve  per  cent, 
equal  to  sulphate  of  potash  twenty-two  per  cent ;  salt 
(chloride  of  sodium),  about  ten  per  cent,  and  lime  five 
per  cent,  with  about  three  per  cent  of  magnesia.  If 
they  are  not  in  the  soil,  add  a  little  silica  and  iron.  If 
the  soil  is  heavy  and  clayey,  the  rest  of  the  mixture  may 
be  sand  or  silica.  If  it  is  sandy,  then  muck  will  be  found 
excellent.  If  the  soil  is  in  good  proportions,  these  va- 
rious fertilizers  may  be  applied  without  being  mixed,  in 
quantities  according  to  the  judgment  of  the  horticul- 
turist. Full-bearing  trees  will  be  benefited  by  an  in- 
crease in  the  amount  of  potash,  as  the  fruit  contains  a 
much  larger  proportion  of  this  than  the  wood.  Decayed 
vegetable  matter,  or  humus,  in  the  soil  acts  as  a  solvent 
of  all  its  mineral  elements  to  make  them  available  as 
plant  food,  especially  the  potash.  Cotton-seed  meal,  witli 
the  addition  of  a  little  phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  is 
a  good  manure  ;  but  the  cost  will  be  considerably  re- 
duced by  feeding  the  meal  to  cattle  and  using  the 
manure. 


LOCATION,    TRENCHING,    ETC. 

CHAPTER    VI. 
LOCATION— TRENCHING— DRAINAGE— CULTIVATION. 

LOCATION. — The  planter  should  select  the  best  spot 
at  his  command.  In  deciding  which  is  best,  he  will 
need  to  consider  well  the  kinds  of  soil  as  well  as  their 
location,  and  secure  the  greatest  number  of  the  conditions 
of  success.  If  his  valley  is  wet  and  subject  to  frost,  he 
must  go  up  on  the  hill-side,  and,  if  need  be,  plant  on  the 
hill-top. 

As  to  aspects,  any  may  be  selected  when  the  other 
conditions  are  equally  favorable.  A  northern  aspect  is 
to  be  preferred,  where  the  season  is  long  enough  to  insure 
the  ripening  of  the  fruit,  because  it  is  safer  from  late 
spring  frosts.  In  the  Middle  and  Southern  States  this 
will  generally  be  the  case.  A  southwest  exposure  will 
have  advantages  at  the  North,  because,  when  there  is  a 
frost,  the  morning  sun  will  be  more  gradual  in  its  effects. 
For  a  like  reason,  trees  near  a  large  body  of  water  escape 
frost  by  its  ameliorating  influence  ;  and  in  case  of  frosts, 
the  slight  fogs  that  may  rise  soften  the  rays  of  the 
morning  sun  enough  to  prevent  the  injury  of  a  sudden 
thaw.  On  the  banks  of  a  small  stream  in  a  deep  ravine 
would  be  a  bad  location  almost  anywhere  in  the  Northern 
States,  because  of  the  danger  from  frost. 

TRENCHING. — One  of  the  objects  of  trenching  is  to 
improve  a  soil  that  is  too  sandy  by  the  admixture  of  clay 
from  a  suitable  subsoil  beneath  it.  If  the  subsoil  is  not 
clayey,  then  the  surface  soil  must  be  improved  by  clay 
top -dressings  and  the  coarser  manures.  If  farm-yard 
manure  has  been  composted  with  peat,  swamp  muck,  or 
river  mud,  it  is  all  the  better.  The  trenching  may  be 
done  either  by  the  spade  or  the  plow.  If  done  by  hand, 
go  down  twice  the  depth  of  the  spade,  and  the  work  will 


42  QUINCE   CULTUKE. 

be  efficient.  If  done  with  a  plow,  the  furrow  slice 
should  be  narrow,  that  the  whole  of  the  ground  may  be 
thoroughly  pulverized  very  deep.  Where  we  find  a  light 
sandy  or  mucky  soil  on  a  compact  subsoil,  it  may  be  well 
to  cross-plow,  the  more  thoroughly  to  mingle  the  two 
together. 

DRAINAGE. — Whenever  it  is  found  best  to  underdrain, 
the  method  should  depend  on  facilities.  Where  there  are 
plenty  of  cobblestones,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  place  them  in  a 
suitable  ditch,  and  cover  them  so  as  to  leave  the  surface 
much  as  it  was  before  the  drain  was  dug.  This  will  be  best 
in  many  parts  of  the  country.  In  sections  destitute  of 
such  material,  tiles  become  a  necessity.  The  ditch  is  better 
made  between  the  rows  of  trees,  so  as  to  be  reached  only 
by  the  smaller  roots  ;  and  for  the  same  reason  it  is  well 
to  cover  the  joints  of  the  tile.  Three  feet  may  be  deep 
enough;  but  always  make  sure  that  the  fall  to  the  outlet 
is  sufficient  to  carry  out  the  water.  Land  that  needs 
draining  at  all  is  never  likely  to  be  made  too  dry  by  good 
underdrains  between  the  rows  of  trees.  Some  prefer 
open  drains  to  tile  or  cobblestone.  If  proper  drainage 
has  not  been  secured  before  the  planting  of  the  trees,  it 
will  pay  to  do  it  afterward.  The  drains,  however,  must 
always  be  so  placed  as  to  carry  off  the  water. 

CULTIVATION. — The  importance  of  thorough  cultiva- 
tion for  this  fruit  can  not  be  too  well  understood.  Clean 
culture  is  helpful  in  avoiding  the  borers,  because  it  leaves 
no  weeds  and  grass  around  the  tree  to  make  a  shelter  for 
them.  If  the  ground  is  stirred  often,  besides  keeping 
it  free  from  weeds,  it  will  absorb  a  much  larger  por- 
tion of  nitrogen  from  the  air,  and  so  be  enriched.  The 
atmosphere  presses  it  into  the  soil  with  a  weight  equal  to 
a  column  of  water  thirty-three  feet  high;  and  if  it  is  con- 
stantly kept  pulverized  its  power  of  absorption  is  greatly 
increased,  and  it  is  much  less  affected  by  drought. 

The   quantity  of  water  evaporated   from  a  soil  well 


LAYING    OUT    THE    OKCHARD. 


43 


tilled  is  surprisingly  less  than  from  a  like  soil  untilled. 
The  experiments  at  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, with  a  light  sandy  soil  stirred  four  inches  deep, 
showed  an  evaporation  of  542  barrels  of  water  in  seven 
days  from  an  acre,  while  a  like  soil  undisturbed  evapo- 
rated 1,276  barrels  a  week  ;  a  saving  of  nearly  105  barrels 
a  day.  A  heavy  clay  soil  cultivated  four  inches  deep 
evaporated  904  barrels  an  acre,  while  1,020  barrels  were 
lost  from  a  similar  acre  undisturbed  during  the  week ;  a 
saving  of  about  17  barrels  a  day  by  cultivation.  Similar 
experiments  in  New  York  at  the  Experiment  Station 
showed  similar  results.  The  crops  that  have'been  pro- 
duced on  a  poor  soil  by  most  thoroughly  working  it  are 
a  demonstration  of  its  great  value  to  all  crops.  It  may 
be  well  to  stir  the  surface  every  week  of  the  growing 
season. 


CHAPTER    VII. 
LAYING  OUT  THE  ORCHARD. 

IT  is  desirable  to  have  the   trees  of  an   orchard  in 
straight  rows,  not  only  for  beauty,  but  for  convenience 


Fig.  14. — LAYING  OUT  IN  SQUARES. 

in  cultivation.     If  the  rows  are  begun  crooked,  the  diffi- 
culty will  increase  as  the  planting  progresses  ;  but  if  the 


44 


QUIKCE   CULTUKE. 


first  row  is  straight,  and  the  distance  from  tree  to  tree 
equal,  the  added  rows  are  easily  made  to  correspond. 

The  two  methods  of  laying   out  an  orchard   are  in 
squares,  and  in  triangles  and  hexagons,  commonly  called 


Fig.    15. — LAYING  OUT  IN  QUINCUNX. 

quincunx.  Most  orchards  are  laid  out  in  squares,  but 
in  equilateral  triangles  the  ground  will  hold  about  one- 
seventh  more  trees  at  the  same  distance  apart.  There, is 
no  way  to  set  as  many  equidistant  trees  on  an  acre  as  in 
equilateral  triangles.  To  lay  out  the  ground  in  squares, 
the  first  thing  is  to  form  a  right  angle,  which  will  be  in- 
cluded between  two  lines  six  and  eight  feet  long,  con- 


16.—  QUINCUNX  BY  CIRCLES. 


nected  by  a  third  line  ten  feet  long,  as  shown  in  the  figure. 
Having  formed  this  right  angle,  the  extension  of  the  six 
and  eight  feet  lines  will  show  where  the  rows  of  trees 
are  to  be  planted  at  any  desired  distance.  Parallel  lines 
will  show  where  to  plant  the  successive  rows  till  the 


LAYING  OUT  THE  ORCHARD. 


whole  plot  is  planted.  A  ten -foot  pole  may  be  used  in- 
stead of  a  line  or  cord  to  lay  out  the  angle.  If  exact 
measurements  are  made  there  will  be  little  need  of 
sighting  the  rows. 

The  quincunx  plan  is  simply  to  lay  out  the  orchard  in 
equilateral  triangles.     Whatever  distance  be  decided  on 


Fig.  17.— FIXED  MARKER. 


Fig.  18.— ADJUSTABLE  MARKER. 


between  the  trees  will  be  the  length  of  the  radius  of  a 
circle,  which  can  be  easily  swept  with  a  cord  of  that 
length,  or  by  a  marker  for  this  purpose.  The  fixed  mark- 
er is  made  by  nailing  two  light  strips  to  stakes  the  width 
apart  for  the  distance  from  tree  to  tree.  The  adjustable 
marker  has  one  of  the  stakes 
movable  on  a  bar,  and  fast- 
ened with  a  key  at  any  de- 
sired distance. 

I  have  found  no  way  so 
convenient  as  to  make  a  tri- 
angle of  narrow  boards  the 
desired  length,  nailed  at  the 
ends,  and  with  braces  from 
each  point  to  the  middle  of 
the  opposite  side,  fastening 
well  at  the  intersections.  Having  a  base  line,  I  move 
this  triangle  along  from  one  tree  to  another,  making 
holes  and  setting  trees  at  the  points.  Repeat  the  oper- 
ation for  each  row  till  the  trees  are  all  planted. 

Besides  the  gain  of  about  one  row  in  seven  over  squares, 


Fig.  19.— MOVABLE   TRIANGLE. 


46  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

the  quincunx  plan  allows  of  cultivation  all  ways,  which 
keeps  the  ground  in  fine  condition  with  the  least  labor. 
Laid  out  in  squares  fifteen  feet  apart,  an  acre  will  take 


Fig.  20. — LOCATING  BOARD. 

two  hundred  trees  ;  in  quincunx,  at  the  same  distance,  it 
will  take  two  hundred  and  twenty-two  trees.  At  twelve 
feet  in  squares  it  will  take  three  hundred  and  two,  and 


Fig.  21.— LOCATING  BOAED  IN  USE. 

in  quincunx  three  hundred  and  seventy.  At  ten  feet  in 
squares  it  will  take  four  hundred  and  thirty-five,  and  in 
quincunx  four  hundred  and  ninety- seven  trees  for  an  acre. 


TRANSPLANTING  THE   QUINCE.  47 

After  the  peg  is  placed  for  the  location  of  the  tree,  it 
will  be  found  convenient,  when  the  triangle  is  not  used, 
to  have  a  board  seven  or  eight  feet  long  with  a  notch  on 
one  side  in  the  middle  and  a  hole  at  each  end  equidistant 
from  the  notch.  Place  the  board  so  that  the  notch  will 
receive  the  peg,  and  stick  a  pin  through  each  hole.  Lift 
the  board,  leaving  the  pins,  and  dig  the  hole  for  the 
tree.  Eeplace  the  board  on  the  pins,  and  set  the  tree  in 
the  notch,  and  it  will  be  sure  to  stand  where  the  marking 
peg  was  driven.  With  pins  enough  to  do  this,  the  entire 
orchard  may  be  laid  out  before  a  tree  is  set. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
TRANSPLANTING    THE    QUINCE. 

No  part  of  culture  is  more  important  than  transplant- 
ing, and,  as  generally  practised,  none  is  done  so  badly,  or 
with  less  regard  to  the  principles  involved.  The  digging 
often  robs  the  tree  of  nearly  all  its  fibrous  roots,  and  the 
planting  crowds  what  few  are  left  into  the  smallest  hole 
that  will  hold  them  ;  so  that,  between  the  careless  digger, 
and  the  thoughtless  planter,  the  tree  dies  ;  or,  if  it  lives, 
makes  a  feeble  growth,  and  never  affords  satisfaction  to 
any  one. 

How  and  when  to  transplant  are  the  two  chief  points 
on  which  depend  success  or  failure.  In  taking  up  a  tree 
great  care  is  necessary  to  preserve  all  its  roots,  large  and 
small.  If  every  root  and  rootlet  could  be  preserved  in- 
tact, and  then  well  placed  in  the  new  location,  there  would 
be  but  little  check  to  its  growth.  The  nearer  we  come 
to  this  the  better  the  prospect  of  success.  The  length 
of  the  roots  being  reckoned  equal  to  the  hight  of  the 
tree,  we  can  tell  about  how  far  from  the  base  of  the  tree 


48 


QUINCE   CULTURE. 


we  should  begin  to  dig  to  get  under  the  outer  portion  of 
its  roots.  What  is  commonly  called  a  forked  spade  is 
the  best  implement  I  have  used,  as  it  does  not  cut  the 
roots,  and  bruises  them  but  little.  The  digger  should 
stand  with  his  side  toward  the  tree,  and  this  fork  will 
then  go  down  so  as  to  lift  the  roots  entire,  by  work- 
ing from  the  outer  ends  to  the  tree.  The  larger  share 
of  fibrous  roots  will  be  found  comparatively  near  the 
surface. 
As  soon  as  the  tree  is  dug,  earth  must  be  thrown  over 


Fig.  22. 

GOOD  AND  BAD  DIGGING. 


Fig.  23. 


its  roots  to  keep  them  from  drying  by  sun  or  wind.  A 
cloudy  day  is  desirable,  and  is  all  the  better  if  damp  and 
without  wind. 

If  the  tree  has  been  raised  from  seed  it  will  have  a  tap- 
root ;  but  if  from  a  cutting  there  will  be  only  laterals  to 
care  for.  If  any  roots  are  bruised  or  broken  in  digging, 
it  will  be  well  to  pare  off  the  bruised  parts  smoothly,  and 
cut  the  ends  of  broken  roots  with  a  slant  upward,  so 
that  the  callus  formed  will  emit  roots  downward  from 
these  cut  ends. 

The  hole  for  the  tree  should  be  about  two  spades  deep, 


TRANSPLANTING  THE  QUINCE.  49 

and  wider  than  the  roots  are  long.  In  most  soils  it  pays 
to  dig  a  hole  from  four  to  six  feet  across  to  plant  a  one 
year  old  tree,  and  still  wider  for  older  trees.  Throw  out 
the  subsoil  by  itself,  and  either  spread  it  around  on  the 
surface,  to  be  acted  on  by  sun,  rain,  and  frost,  or  to  be  re- 
moved for  other  uses.  The  top  soil  is  then  filled  into  the 
bottom  of  the  hole,  and  the  tree  set  on  this  so  as  to  be  a 
little  deeper  than  it  was  before.  Fill  in  among  the  roots 
with  rich  soil  rather  than  manure  ;  for  though  it  may  be 
well  rotted,  it  will  be  generally  too  dry,  and  if  fresh  will 
injure  by  the  fungi  it  produces.  Eich  manuring  on  the 
top  of  the  ground  after  the  tree  is  planted  will  promote 
a  vigorous  growth.  When  the  hole  is  nearly  filled,  a 
very  liberal  mulch  of  leaves,  straw,  or  any  such  material 
should  be  well  spread  in,  and  covered  up  with  earth.  It 
will  prevent  the  tree  from  suffering  in  drought,  promote 
the  absorption  of  nitrogen  from  the  air,  and  by  rotting 
become  a  good  fertilizer.  If  the  tree  has  large  roots, 
great  care  is  needed  to  insure  them  against  hollows  that 
produce  decay.  A  little  water  may  be  needed  to  make 
sure  that  the  earth  presses  against  every  part.  After 
the  operation  is  well  performed,  watering  on  the  surface 
will  not  be  needed,  as  the  mulch  prevents  evaporation. 
If  so  watered  at  transplanting  as  to  get  the  earth  well 
pressed  against  the  roots,  and  then  properly  mulched, 
trees  will  never  need  watering  again,  except  by  natural 
rains. 

How  much  room  to  give  the  quince  depends  on  cir- 
cumstances and  surroundings,  and  the  form  of  head  de- 
sired. Such  writers  as  Cole,  Thomas,  and  Downing  rec- 
ommend six,  eight,  ten,  and  twelve  feet  apart.  I  have 
tried  them  all,  and  decided  on  fifteen  feet  as  being  close 
enough  for  the  highest  success.  By  studying  the  possi- 
bilities of  this  fruit,  we  must  decide  how  wide  we  will 
plant.  Sometimes  a  quince  tree  exceeds  all  expectation. 
In  1857  there  was  a  quince  tree  near  Geneva,  New  York, 


50  QTIIKCE  CULTURE. 

that  was  thirty  feet  high,  with  a  trunk  six  feet  around, 
and  had  branches  extending  over  a  circle  seventy-five 
feet  in  circumference,  It  was  thought  to  be  the  largest 
quince  tree  on  record.  I  have  read  of  a  tree  on  a  thorn 
root  that  produced  five  bushels  a  year.  On  this  root 
the  quince  is  long-lived.  But  I  have  seen  the  trees 
over  sixty  years  old  on  their  own  roots,  and  still  bearing 
well. 

The  size  of  a  tree  most  desirable  for  transplanting 
must  necessarily  vary  with  circumstances.  As  a  rule, 
young  and  thrifty  trees  will  grow  best,  because  they  lose 
a  smaller  proportion  of  their  fibrous  roots.  Large  trees 
are  more  likely  to  be  checked  by  transplanting,  because 
of  the  greater  loss  of  roots.  If  the  tree  to  be  trans- 
planted has  not  been  cut  back  so  as  to  reduce  the  top  to 
a  good  proportion  with  the  roots  before  being  set,  it 
must  not  be  forgotten  afterward,  as  much  depends  on 
this.  If  there  has  been  a  great  loss  of  roots,  as  is  often 
the  case,  it  is  better  to  reduce  the  top  very  severely, 
perhaps  to  one  or  two  buds  of  the  new  wood.  The  tree 
will  be  larger  at  the  end  of  the  season's  growth,  and  of 
better  form. 

A  suitable  preparation  of  the  ground  is  more  conven- 
iently made  before  the  trees  are  planted.  No  pains 
should  be  spared  to  so  prepare  the  ground  that  it  will 
exactly  supply  every  want  of  the  trees,  and  at  once  push 
them  into  a  vigorous  growth.  If  not  well  prepared 
then,  no  after  labor  can  fully  supply  the  deficiency. 
The  importance  of  thorough  work  was  illustrated  by  the 
experience  of  a  man  who  had  a  hundred  trees  to  set,  and 
going  from  home  for  a  day,  left  a  man  to  plant  them  in 
his  absence.  Keturning  at  night,  he  was  offended  with 
his  help  because  he  had  only  set  nine  of  the  hundred. 
So  he  discharged  him,  and  next  day  planted  the  ninety- 
one  remaining  himself.  But,  to  his  surprise,  when  they 
bore,  the  crop  from  the  nine  was  worth  more  than  that 


:6ll 


T&  AN  SPL  AtffltfG  THE  QUIHCE. 


of  the  ninety-one.  In  tree  planting,  as  elsewhere,  "haste 
makes  waste."  If  worth  doing  at  all,  it  is  worth  doing 
right. 

The  quince  should  not  be  planted  in  grain  or  grass, 
and  especially  a  clover  sod.  Low,  hoed  crops,  like  beans 
or  turnips,  can  be  cultivated  among  the  trees  when  small, 
because  their  culture  necessitates  fertilizing  and  stirring 
the  ground  ;  but  as  soon  as  the  trees  get  large,  nothing 
else  should  be  allowed  to  grow  among  them.  If  the 
roots  happen  to  get  frozen  while  above  ground,  they  will 
die  if  thawed  in  the  air  ;  but  if  buried  in  the  soil,  and 


Fig.  34.  Fig  35. 

TWO  METHODS  OF  HEELING. 

allowed  to  thaw  there,  they  will  live  and  grow.  To 
freeze  and  thaw  in  the  earth  does  them  no  apparent  harm. 
If  a  tree  has  become  dry  and  shriveled  in  transpor- 
tation, its  plumpness  may  be  restored  by  burying  both 
top  and  roots  for  a  few  days  ;  but  if  put  in  water,  it 
may  become  water-soaked,  and  so  fail.  The  stem  and 
branches  of  a  newly  transplanted  tree  may  be  greatly 
benefited  by  watering  before  the  leaves  appear,  especially 
when  there  has  been  much  loss  of  the  roots.  When  the 
trees  come  to  the  planter  from  a  nursery,  it  is  best  to 
heel  them  in  at  once  ;  for  there  is  no  way  in  which  they 
can  be  kept  so  well  as  in  the  earth.  Once  properly 
heeled  in,  the  planter  can  take  time  to  plant  each  tree. 


52  QUINCE  CULTURE. 

Trees  received  in  the  fall  for  spring  planting  can  be 
kept  in  this  way  in  good  condition,  and  will  be  ready  to 
plant  earlier  than  where  the  planter  waits  till  spring  be- 
fore ordering  them,  because  in  the  hurry  of  spring  work 
some  must  necessarily  wait. 

If  trees  are  heeled-in  in  bundles,  those  inside  are  not 
pressed  by  the  earth,  and  become  dry.  If  the  trees  slope 
toward  the  south,  they  will  not  thaw  out  as  soon  in 
spring,  as  the  tips  shade  the  ground  toward  the  sun. 
Heeling-in  erect  is  only  recommended  where  there  is 
danger  from  mice.  The  place  for  heeling-in  should  be 
high  enough  to  secure  freedom  from  all  danger  of  the 
trees  becoming  water-soaked.  A  sheltered  situation  is 
most  desirable. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

WHEN  TO  TRANSPLANT— KEEPING  A  RECORD— EF- 
FECTS OF  WINDS— STRAIGHTENING   TREES. 

THE  best  season  to  transplant  is  when  the  sap  is  compar- 
atively dormant,  between  the  fall  of  the  leaves  in  autumn 
and  the  development  of  the  buds  in  spring.  To  decide  in- 
telligently what  is  the  best;  time  to  transplant  we  should, 
as  far  as  possible,  take  into  account  the  various  agents 
that  influence  vegetation,  such  as  the  relative  warmth  of 
the  soil  and  atmosphere,  and  the  mildness  or  severity  of 
the  climate  in  winter.  Then,  again,  the  nature  of  the 
soil  will  be  an  important  consideration,  as  also  the  facility 
for  doing  the  work  in  the  best  manner. 

The  greatest  difference  between  the  mean  temperature 
of  the  earth  and  the  air  is  in  October,  when  the  earth  a  foot 
below  the  surface  is  from  a  degree  to  a  degree  and  a  half 


WHEH   TO  TKAKSPLAtfT,    ETC.  53 

above  the  mean  temperature  of  the  air.  Some  soils  are 
much  warmer  than  others,  and  serve  as  a  natural  hot -bed 
for  the  roots  of  the  newly-set  tree,  encouraging  the  for- 
mation of  a  callus  on  cut  and  bruised  roots  as  well  as  the 
emission  of  many  new  roots,  and  so  preparing  for  a 
vigorous  start  in  the  spring,  as  well  as  a  successful  win- 
tering. The  greater  cold  of  the  air  prevents  the  buds 
from  starting  until  the  warmth  of  spring,  when  vegeta- 
tion generally  becomes  active. 

Where  the  climate  is  too  cold  for  the  newly-set 
trees  to  carry  forward  the  healing  of  cut  and  bruised 
roots,  which  is  the  case  where  winter  sets  in  early,  and 
the  ground  freezes  as  deep  as  the  roots  extend,  there  will 
be  great  danger  from  fall  planting.  The  freezing  and 
thawing  of  all  heavy  soils  operates  greatly  to  the  disad- 
vantage of  all  newly-planted  trees.  In  warm,  dry,  and 
sandy  soils,  if  the  setting  is  well  done  any  time  before 
winter  begins,  or  even  during  the  mild  spells  of  winter, 
success  is  a  reasonable  expectation. 

The  soil  is  cold  in  the  spring,  and  is  much  more 
slowly  heated  than  the  air,  which  stimulates  the  buds, 
and  new  leaves  are  developed  more  rapidly  than  the 
roots,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  reduced  roots  of  the 
transplanted  tree  are  heavily  taxed  to  supply  the  needed 
moisture.  Now  unless  the  top  was  cut  back  in  pro- 
portion to  the  roots,  the  tree  will  suifer,  and  may  die. 
Often  the  spring-set  tree  leaves  out  as  well  as  the  fall-set 
tree,  but  suddenly  dries  up  and  fails  because  the  roots 
can  not  supply  moisture.  It  does  not  matter  whether  a 
tree  is  just  set,  or  has  been  long  established,  if  moisture 
does  not  get  into  its  top  as  fast  as  it  dries  out  the  tree 
will  die,  in  the  summer  or  winter,  fall  or  spring. 

Trees  set  in  the  fall  are  in  more  favorable  circumstances 
to  get  the  benefit  of  the  winter  and  spring  rains  to  settle 
the  earth  among  their  roots  ;  and  being  thus  established, 
they  are  ready  to  commence  new  growth  in  the  first,  warm 


54  QUINCE  CULTURE. 

days  of  spring.  Now  where  this  is  delayed  till  spring,  it 
is  often  quite  late  before  the  ground  is  ready  to  work ; 
and  if  the  season  be  backward,  it  is  all  the  more  impor- 
tant to  have  them  in  their  places.  Nurserymen  generally 
not  only  send  out  the  first  choice  in  the  fall,  but  give  the 
trees  a  more  careful  handling,  as  they  have  more  time  at 
command.  If  not  ready  to  set  the  trees,  it  may  be  better 
to  secure  the  stock  and  heel  in  till  ready. 

Spring  planting  will  suit  better  than  fall  in  Northern 
latitudes,  where  the  ground  freezes  very  deep,  or  where 
the  soil  is  heavy  and  heaves  with  frost.  At  the  North 
the  trees  are  liable  to  be  thrown  up  by  alternate  freezing 
and  thawing,  and  the  roots  are  often  injured  by  being 
saturated  with  water  in  a  heavy  undrained  soil.  If  the 
situation  is  very  much  exposed,  staking  may  save  the 
rootlets  from  being  twisted  off.  If  delayed  till  spring, 
always  do  this  work  as  early  as  the  circumstances  will 
allow. 

KEEPING  A  EECORD. — When  different  varieties  of 
quinces  have  been  planted  in  the  same  orchard,  it  will  be 
useful  to  preserve  a  record  or  map  of  the  location  of 
each  variety,  as  the  labels  on  the  trees  soon  fade,  and 
memory  is  not  to  be  trusted  in  years  of  change.  Such  a 
record  will  be  found  valuable  for  the  use  of  new  propri- 
etors, and,  in  case  of  the  death  or  removal  of  the  planter, 
will  be  of  much  importance.  No  system  of  labeling  can 
be  of  equal  value. 

EFFECTS  OF  WIND. — Whether  winds  will  benefit  or 
injure  trees  will  depend  on  their  character,  and  the 
degree  of  force  with  which  they  move.  The  swaying  of 
the  limbs  and  branches  of  trees  as  they  are  moved  by  the 
common  winds  that  blow  in  every  direction  are  beneficial, 
serving  for  them  the  purpose  that  exercise  does  for  the 
animal  creation.  All  know  that  exercise  strengthens  and 
promotes  growth,  and  only  becomes  injurious  when  it  is 


PROPAGATION  OF  THE  QUINCE.          55 

excessive.  So  with  the  motions  of  trees  produced  by 
winds,  especially  during  the  growing  season. 

"The  mild  wind  blows 
And  beauty  glows," 

but  when  the  storm  king  rides  on  the  wings  of  the  wind 
in  the  sweeping  hurricane,  what  was  a  benefit  becomes 
an  injury.  Experiment  has  shown  a  diminished  growth 
in  the  part  of  a  tree  not  moved  by  the  wind,  and  that 
wind-breaks  are  very  desirable  to  prevent  excessive  sweeps 
of  winds  and  storms. 

STRAIGHTENING  LEANING  TREES. — Trees  in  an  'or- 
chard are  often  seen  out  of  an  erect  position,  which  may 
arise  from  winds  or  other  causes.  In  all  such  cases  it 
will  add  to  beauty  and  the  convenience  of  culture  to 
straighten  up  the  leaning  trees.  This  is  easily  done  by 
setting  a  stake  a  little  distance  from  the  tree,  and  then 
fastening  the  tree  to  it  with  a  wire  or  cord,  thus  securing 
it  in  a  perpendicular  position  during  the  growing  season. 
I  have  found  a  single  year's  growth  in  the  desired  posi- 
tion all  that  was  necessary  for  permanence.  It  is  best 
to  do  this  when  trees  are  quite  small ;  or,  if  large,  when 
blown  over,  without  delay. 


CHAPTER    X. 
PROPAGATION  OF  THE  QUINCE. 

THE  quince  may  be  multiplied  from  seeds,  cuttings, 
and  layers.  The  seed  of  a  species  will  always  produce  its 
kind,  but  the  seed  of  a  variety  is  uncertain.  If  propa- 
gated from  layers  or  cuttings,  or  by  grafting  or  bud- 
ding, the  trees  will  always  be  of  the  same  variety  as  the 
parent  tree. 

1.  PROPAGATION  BY  SEEDS. — All  the  recent  varieties 


56 


QUINCE   CULTUKE. 


of  merit  seem  to  be  chance  seedlings,  which  suggests  that 
seed  should  be  selected  from  the  best  specimens  of  the 
choicest  varieties,  that  there  may  be  still  further  im- 
provement. Quince  seed  for  planting  should  never  be 
allowed  to  get  thoroughly  dried  before  it  is  planted.  If 
not  convenient  to  plant  when  taken  from  the  fruit, 
preserve  it  in  moist  sand  till  spring,  when,  in  a  well- 
prepared  seed-bed,  it  should  be  covered  two  or  three 
inches  deep,  and  treated  as  other  seedlings.  Any  one 
desiring  to  improve  the  quince  by  seedlings  will  do  well 


Fig.  26. — LAYERING. 

to   study  the  theories   of  Van  Mons,  of   Belgium,  and 
Knight,  of  England,  as  described  by  Downing. 

2.  PROPAGATION  BY  LAYERS. — It  is  a  very  simple 
operation  to  bend  down  a  limb,  and  keep  it  covered  with 
moist  earth  till  it  is  rooted,  and  then  cut  it  from  the 
parent  tree.  If  the  bent  branch  is  partly  cut  off  or  slit 
up  under  a  bud,  or  twisted  like  a  withe  at  the  lowest 
point,  it  will  help  both  the  bending  and  rooting.  A  wire 
twisted  around  the  layer  just  below  the  bottom  bud  in 
the  ground,  and  holes  punched  through  above  and  below 


PKOPAGATION   OF   THE   QUINCE. 


57 


the  wire,  may  help ;  or  the  holes  may  be  made  through 
the  layer  in  the  buried  portion  to  stimulate  its  rooting 
from  the  callus  of  the  wounds.  The  bark  is  sometimes 
cut  nearly  around  the  layer  just  below  a  bud,  and  bits  of 
wood  removed  below  this  cut  to  induce  the  formation 
of  a  callus,  from  which  roots  are  emitted.  It  is  some- 
times necessary  to  fasten  down  stiff  branches  with  a 
forked  peg  or  a  weight.  Young  shoots  of  thrifty  trees 
make  the  best  layers.  Early  spring  is  the  best  time  to 
put  down  layers,  that  they  may  be  well  rooted  by  autumn. 
Mound  Layers  or  Stool  Layers  differ  from  the  others 


Fig.   27.— MOUND  OB  STOOL  LAYERING. 

by  having  the  earth  heaped  up  around  them  instead  of 
being  buried  in  the  earth.  The  sprouts  from  stumps  or 
around  growing  trees,  being  well  banked  up,  will  readily 
root  as  high  as  moist  earth  presses  against  them. 

3.  PROPAGATION  BY  CUTTINGS  is  probably  the  best 
method  of  multiplying  quince  trees.  Cuttings  of  large 
branches  are  better  than  those  of  small  shoots.  The 
amount  of  wood  seems  to  measure  the  vital  force  to  form 
both  roots  and  tops.  From  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  is  a 
good  length,  enabling  us  to  plant  deeply,  and  so  guard 
against  drought.  Small  cuttings  may  be  cut  shorter,  and 


58 


QUINCE   CULTURE. 


have  a  piece  of  apple  or  quince  root  grafted  on  to  push 
them.  The  chief  thing  is  to  guard  against  the  exhaus- 
tion of  sap  by  evaporation  until  roots  are  formed.  Fa- 
cilities for  regulating  light,  heat,  air,  and  moisture  with 
precision  will  enable  us  to  succeed  with  a  succulent  cut- 
ting furnished  with  a  few  leaves.  When  the  air  is 


Fig.  38.— LARGE  CUTTING. 


Fig.  29.— BOOT-GRAFTING. 


warmer  than  the  earth,  buds  are  excited  more  than  roots; 
and  when  the  ground  is  warmest,  root  growth  is  most  ex- 
cited. Hence  the  custom  of  burying  cuttings  inverted 
during  the  winter,  to  keep  the  buds  dormant  while  a 
callus  is  forming  for  the  emission  of  roots. 

In  preparing  the  small  cuttings  to  receive  the  pieces  of 
roots  grafted  on  them,  the  chief  thing  is  to  have  their 


PROPAGATION  OF  THE  QUINCE.          59 

cut  ends  fit,  so  that  the  inner  bark  shall  match  at  least 
on  one  side  and  at  the  end  of  the  cutting. 

These  grafted  cuttings  may  be  quickly  dibbled  in. 
making  a  hole  deep  enough  to  receive  the  whole  length 
except  a  bud  or  two  above  the  surface.  Holding  the 
cutting  in  the  hole  at  the  right  depth  with  the  left 
hand,  push  the  earth  firmly  against  the  cutting  with  the 
dibble,  as  you  would  in  planting  a  cabbage.  For  lack  of 
such  firming  the  earth  there  are  many  failures. 

The  fall,  after  the  leaves  have  dropped,  is  generally 
preferred  for  taking  the  cuttings  ;  but  they  may  be  taken 


Fig.  30.— ROOT  CUTTING, 


much  later.     I  have  had  some  cuttings  grow  in  the  open 
air,  which  were  made  in  May,  after  the  trees  were  growing. 

Root  Cuttings  a  foot  or  so  long  are  best  prepared  be- 
fore the  buds  swell  in  spring.  I  have  trees  from  pieces 
of  roots  cut  off  by  the  plow  as  late  as  June.  Plant  at;  an 
angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees,  or  as  near  as  you  can  to 
their  natural  position. 

4.  PROPAGATION  BY  GRAFTING  is  successful  where  the" 
inner  barks  of  both  stock  and  cion  are  made  to  fit  to- 
gether. A  union  forms  most  readily  between  varieties 
of  the  same  species  ;  next  between  species  of  the  same 
genus,  and  is  limited  by  genera  of  the  same  natural  order. 
By  this  law  one  variety  of  quince  will  do  best  grafted  on 


60 


QUINCE   CULTURE. 


another  ;  and  next  on  the  apple,  white  thorn,  and  June- 
berry.     On  the  white  thorn  it  escapes  the  borer. 

The  choice  of  wood  for  cuttings  is  last  year's  growth 
from  near  the  center  of  the  tree.  Be  sure  they  are  from 

healthy  and  vigorous  trees. 
If  trees  are  propagated  from 
bearing  ";Tood  they  will  come 
into  fruit  sooner  than  if  from 
blind  wood.  Here  is  a  rea- 

SPLITTING  KNIFE  AND  CHISEL. 

son  for  the  difference  in  the 
bearing  age  of  trees  from  the  same  parentage. 

Spring  is  the  best  time  for  grafting,  except  the  root 
grafting  already  described.  In  March  we  work  by  the 
methods  best  suited  while  the  bark  adheres  to  the  wood, 
and  later  by  those  suited  to  a  bark  easily  separated 
from  it. 

Cleft  Grafting  is  the  most  common  method,  and  is 
done  by  cutting  off  the  stock  smoothly,  and  splitting  it 


Fig.  32.— CLEFT   GRAFTING.  Fig.  33.— SPLICE   GRAFTING. 

down  from  an  inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches,  according 
to  the  size  of  the  stock  and  the  thickness  of  the  cion. 
Into  the  cleft  set  the  cion,  with  the  end  cut  wedge- 
shaped,  the  outer  edge  a  trifle  thickest,  and  so  placed 
that  the  liber  or  inner  bark  of  the  graft  and  stock  shall 


PROPAGATION  OF  THE  QUINCE. 


61 


match ;  then  bind  and  cover  all  exposed  parts  with  wax 
or  clay,  and  the  work  is  complete. 

Splice  Grafting  or  Whip  Grafting  is  only  adapted  to 
small  stocks.  If  the  stock  and  cion  are  of  the  same  size, 
they  will  make  a  perfect  match. 
If  one  is  larger  than  the  other, 
they  will  match  on  one  side  and 
end.  Cut  each  with  a  slope  about 
an  inch  and  a  half  long,  and 
make  a  tongue  for  convenience 
in  matching  the  parts.  Bind  to- 
gether and  wax  well. 

Saddle    Grafting  is  a  modifi- 
cation of   whip  grafting    easily 

i         L.       J     i_         ji          -n        .        L-  Fig.  34.— SADDLE  GRAFTING. 

understood  by  the   illustration. 

Side  Grafting  is  a  simple  way  of  propagation  free 
from  some  of  the  objections  to  cleft  grafting.  It  is  a 
very  convenient  method  of  inserting  a  limb  to  restore 
a  balance  to  the  head,  or  provide  shade  for  exposed 


Fig.  35.  Fig.  36. 

SIDE  GRAFTING — TWO  METHODS. 

parts.  The  first  method  is  like  budding  with  the  bud 
extended  to  a  cion.  The  second  is  like  cleft  grafting,  in 
a  cut  on  the  side  of  a  tree  or  limb. 

Crown  Grafting  differs  from  side  grafting  by  having 


QUINCE  CULTURE. 


the  stock  cut  off  as  in  cleft  grafting.     It  is  specially  ser- 
viceable for  stocks  too  large  to  split,  and  is  best  done 


Fig.  37. 


CROWN    GRAFTING. 


when  the  bark  will  slip.  The  stock  is  not  split,  but  the 
tongue  of  the  cion  is  slipped  down  under  the  bark  as  in 
budding. 

The  advantages  of  cions  with  only  one  or  two  buds  are, 
that  they  do  not  dry  as  soon   as   longer    cions,    they 


Fig.   39.— BUDDING  KNIFE. 

afford  less  leverage  to  winds,  and  are  less  liable  to  be 
injured  by  birds  lighting  on  them. 


Fig.  40. — BUDDING  KNIFE. 

5.  PROPAGATION  BY  BUDDING  follows  the  same  law  of 
affinity  observed  in  grafting.     The  buds  may  be  taken 


PROPAGATION  OF  Tflfi 


from  wood  of  the  growing  shoots  well  matured,  or  from 
the  preceding  year's  growth.     A  cion  too  late  for  graft- 


Fig.  41.— STICK  OF  BUDS. 


Fig.  42.— CUTTING  A  BUD. 


ing  may  be  treated  as  a  cutting  till  its  buds  can  be  used. 

The  bark  of  a  quince  tree  can  be  raised  for  the  insertion 

of  a  bud  most  of  the  growing  season.     The  best  place  to 

insert  it  is  near  a  bud,  or  where  a  bud 

has  become  a  branch,  as  the  supply 

of  cambium  is  there  most  abundant. 

The  bud,  with  its  shield  of  bark,  is  cut 

from  above  or  below,  beginning  to  cut 

half  an  inch  off,  and  so  cutting  as  to 

leave  a  thin  piece  of  wood  under  the 

bud.     On   the   stock   cuts  are  made 

like  a  "["•     The  corners  of  the  bark 

being  lifted,  we  slide  the  bud  to  its 

place,  and  complete  the  operation  by 

winding  a  ligament  of  bass  or  raffia 

around    the  stock  above  and  below 

the  bud,  tying  it  securely. 

Failure   may  arise   from  injury  to    SHOOT  FROM  A  BUD. 
the  cambium  in  cutting  and  raismo-^oo/^^acfto 

0  slock  afterward. 


Fig.   43. — TRAINING   A 


64  QUINCE  CULTURE. 

the  bark  of  the  stock,  from  too  narrow  a  cross-cut  to 
receive  the  shield  of  the  bud,  from  using  immature 
buds,  from  the  shield  being  too  short  (it  should  be  at 
least  an  inch  long),  and  from  being  loosely  tied,  so  as  to 
dry  out.  The  south  side  of  a  stock  is  dryer  in  summer, 
and  so  is  to  be  avoided. 


CHAPTER    XL 
PRUNING   THE    QUINCE. 

IN  a  natural  condition  we  may  regard  it  as  a  rule  that 
the  tree  will  maintain  a  harmonious  relation  of  all  its 
parts.  The  roots  and  branches  will  correspond  with 
each  other.  Every  twig,  bud,  or  leaf  removed  from  the 
top,  and  every  fiber  and  spongelet  cut  off  from  the  roots, 
will  hurt  or  help  the  tree.  No  one  is  competent  to  re- 
duce the  roots,  or  diminish  the  leaves  and  branches, 
unless  he  possesses  enough  knowledge  of  the  laws  which 
regulate  the  action  of  the  organs-of  vegetation  to  foresee 
the  effect  which  will  follow  such  removals.  J.  Lindley 
truly  says:  "  If  well-directed,  pruning  is  one  of  the  most 
useful,  and,  if  ill-directed,  it  is  among  the  most  mis- 
chievous operations  that  can  take  place  upon  a  plant." 

1.  PRUNING  AT  TRANSPLANTING. — As  already  stated 
elsewhere,  all  bruised  and  decayed  roots  should  be  re- 
moved ;  but  the  case  is  different  with  healthy  roots.  We 
must  remember  that  every  healthy  and  unmutilated  root 
which  is  removed  is  a  loss  of  nutriment  to  the  plant,  and 
that,  too,  at  a  time  when  it  is  least  able  to  spare  it;  and 
there  can  not  be  any  advantage  in  the  removal.  The  top 
should  always  be  cut  back  at  this  time,  so  as  to  preserve 
a  balance  in  its  proportion  to  the  reduced  roots.  If  we 
infringe  on  the  reciprocal  action  which  naturally  exists 


PRUNING  THE  QUINCE.  65 

between  the  roots  and  branches,  evil  results  will  surely 
follow.  The  accumulated  life-force  sets  the  roots  to 
forming  new  spongioles,  and  the  buds  to  developing 
their  leaves  ;  the  elementary  substances,  which  the  roots 
absorb,  are  acted  on  by  the  leaves,  and  the  new  mate- 
rial thus  prepared  extends  both  the  roots  and  branches. 
If  transplanting  has  been  well  performed,  the  tree  will 
need  little  more  pruning  than  would  otherwise  be  desir- 
able to  promote  a  more  vigorous  growth ;  but  if  the  roots 
have  suffered  in  being  dug,  there  will  be  a  decided  ad- 
vantage in  cutting  back  the  new  shoots  to  the  fewest 


Fig.  44.—  PRUNING  SHEARS. 

buds  that  will  give  the  desired  form  to  the  head  of  the 
tree. 

2.  PRUNING  FOR  FORM. — The  intelligent  and  observ- 
ing horticulturist  will  find,  by  starting  with  a  young  tree, 
that  he  can  secure  almost  any  form  desired,  by  judicious 
pruning.  Trees  make  the  most  vigorous  growth  from 
terminal  buds.  By  cutting  off  the  shoots  by  upper  and 
under  buds  the  new  growth  will  be  upward  or  downward  ; 
and  side  buds  will  give  a  growth  to  the  right  or  the  left. 
Keeping  in  mind  the  general  principle  that  limbs  must  not 
grow  so  as  to  cross  and  chafe  each  other,  I  have  settled  into 
the  practice  of  cutting  back  all  my  trees  annually,  begin- 
ning when  they  are  one  year  old,  and  following  them  up 
as  they  increase  in  size  and  multiply  their  branches.  The 


66  QUIKCE   CULTURE. 

cut  should  be  made  far  enough  above  the  bud  to  insure 
its  not  drying  out,  and  near  enough  to  grow  over  the 
end  as  the  tree  enlarges.  The  age  of  the  tree,  and  its 
thriftiness  or  feebleness,  must  be  taken  into  account  in 
determining  how  far  back  to  cut. 

The  quince  tree  is  naturally  inclined  to  grow  into  a 
bushy  head,  but  it  also  pushes  up  one  or  more  leaders, 
and  can  be  trained  into  a  regular  tree-form  if  that  be 
desired.  To  secure  an  upright  growth,  cut  back  the 
leader  to  an  inside  bud.  To  spread  out  branches,  cut  so 
as  to  leave  the  bud  on  the  outside.  Clean  off  a  large 
portion  of  the  little  twigs  that  multiply  and  die  along 
neglected  branches,  and  besides  saving  resources,  you  will 


Fig.  45.— BUDS  AND  BRANCHES. 


improve  the  smoothness  and  beauty  of  the  limbs.  The 
fact  that  so  many  of  these  die  along  the  limbs  is  Na- 
ture's admonition  to  prune  the  tree.  It  is  quite  com- 
mon for  the  buds  along  a  vigorous  shoot  to  develop 
threefold,  and  it  will  add  to  the  beauty  and  symmetry 
of  the  form  to  begin  with  the  young  tree  and  rub  off  all 
but  the  strongest  bud  ;  and  where  limbs  are  not  wanted, 
rub  all  off.  This  will  direct  the  energy  of  the  tree 
into  the  most  desirable  channels.  It  is  worth  while  to 
go  over  a  tree  for  this  purpose  a  number  of  times 
during  the  growing  season,  because  one  strong  shoot 
is  worth  more  than  two  or  three  feeble  ones  having 
the  same  amount  of  material  divided  between  them. 


THE   QtJIHOE.  67 

At  a  (fig.  45)  are  triple  buds  at  a  favorable  age  to  easily 
rub  off  supernumeraries.  At  b  they  are  so  far  developed 
as  to  need  the  knife  to  cut  off  the  extras.  At  c  we  have 
the  vigorous  shoots  growing  as  desired. 

How  much  to  cut  back  each  year  is  a  matter  of  judg- 
ment. In  a  shoot  from  one  to  two  feet  long,  cut  back 
about  half  the  length.  A  growth  of  three  to  five  feet 
may  be  reduced  a  little  more  than  one-half.  Treated  in 
this  way,  the  tree  pushes  vigorous  side  shoots,  and  makes 
a  lower  head,  which  is  less  affected  by  winds,  is  more 
convenient  to  keep  in  order,  the  fruit  is  easily  gathered, 
and  however  heavy  the  crop,  the  branches  are  so  stocky 
they  never  break.  If  a  cone-shaped  head  is  desired  (and 
this  is  the  ideal  form  of  many),  it  can  be  secured  by 
leaving  the  lower  branches  longest.  The  natural  flow 
of  sap  to  the  upper  branches  will  be  diminished,  and 
increased  in  the  lower,  and  thus  their  growth  will  be 
proportionally  increased.  If  the  branches  are  nearer 
than  four  to  six  inches,  cut  out  those  worst  situated,  or 
least  likely  to  be  fruitful.  A  judicious  thinning  and 
shortening  of  crowded  and  irregular  branches  will  promote 
both  thrift  and  fruitfulness.  When  a  shoot  pushes  so 
strongly  as  to  attract  to  itself  too  much  of  the  nutriment 
of  the  tree,  pinch  off  the  end,  and  repeat  the  operation 
till  its  buds  push  like  those  on  the  other  shoots,  till,  by 
compelling  an  equal  distribution  of  nutriment,  all  shoots 
grow  in  like  proportions,  if  not  equally. 

3.  PRUNING  TO  PROMOTE  GROWTH. — When  a  stunted 
tree  is  cut  back  judiciously,  the  remaining  buds  may  be 
expected  to  grow  with  renewed  vigor,  because  the  forces 
of  growth  are  concentrated  on  a  smaller  number  of  buds. 
The  inner  bark  of  a  feeble  tree  is  thinner,  and  the  sap 
vessels  smaller ;  the  more  concentrated  growth  thickens 
the  bark  and  enlarges  the  sap  vessels;  and  so  there  is  a  more 
ready  flow  of  all  the  nourishing  fluids,  and  a  consequent 
increase  of  growth.  In  the  laboratory  of  the  leaves  the 


68  QUIKCE   CULTURE. 

sap  is  matured,  and  as  it  descends  through  the  bark  to 
the  roots  it  deposits  the  matter  which  is  added  to  the 
tree  ;  while  the  part  of  the  sap  not  thus  expended  goes 
into  the  alburnum,  and  joins  the  upward  current,  com- 
municating powers  unknown  to  the  recently  absorbed 
fluid.  What  is  thus  true  in  regard  to  a  feeble  tree  is  yet 
more  manifest  in  stronger  and  older  trees. 

To  secure  all  the  benefit,  the  pruning  should  be  done 
in  the  winter,  when  there  is  the  greatest  amount  of 
vitality  stored  up  for  use  the  coming  season.  In  the 
latitude  where  the  ground  seldom  freezes  deep,  the  tree 
continues  to  absorb  food  by  its  rootlets,  which  is  dis- 
tributed over  the  branches.  But  when  the  prunings  are 
wanted  for  cuttings,  they  will  be  found  that  much 
stronger  for  the  same  reason.  I  have  never  taken  off 
cuttings  for  propagation  earlier  than  December  or  Janu- 
ary, though  I  have  no  doubt  of  their  success  when  taken 
earlier. 

I  can  not  too  strongly  recommend  a  severe  pruning  of 
feeble  young  trees,  both  in  the  nursery  and  orchard.  If 
we  leave  only  a  bud  or  two,  the  concentration  of  vigor  may 
restore  a  healthy  growth  to  the  tree,  which  will  continue 
as  long  as  other  conditions  are  favorable. 

4.  PRUNING  FOR  FRUITFULNESS. — The  general  law 
is,  that  excessive  growth  and  great  fruitfulness  can  not 
co-exist  in  the  same  plant.  Accordingly,  a  number  of 
devices  are  employed  to  so  far  change  the  growth  as  to 
secure  the  formation  of  fruit  buds.  "  The  buds  of  fruit 
trees  which  produce  blossoms,  and  those  which  afford 
leaves  only,  in  the  spring,  do  not  at  all  differ  from  each 
other,  in  their  first  stage  of  organization,  as  buds.  Eacli 
contains  the  rudiment  of  leaves  only,  which  are  subse- 
quently transformed  into  the  component  parts  of  the 
blossom,  and  in  some  species  of  the  fruit  also."  From 
the  freaks  in  Nature's  mode  of  operation,  it  is  plain  that, 
while  the  various  parts  of  a  blossom  differ  both  in  ap- 


PRUNING  THE   QUINCE.  69 

pearance  and  office  from  the  leaves,  yet,  under  some  cir- 
cumstances, they  all  assume  the  same  appearance  and 
office.  Accepting  this  idea,  we  are  still  unable  to  ex- 
plain how  or  why  a  given  course  of  treatment  causes  a 
tree  to  convert  a  part  of  its  buds  into  flowers,  by  forming 
their  leaf-scales  into  calyx,  corolla,  stamens,  and  pistils, 
while  its  other  buds  become  branches  clothed  with 
nothing  but  leaves. 

The  period  of  fruitfulness  varies  in  different  species  of 
plants,  and  in  different  varieties  of  the  same  species.  It 
is  often  in  our  power  to  advance  or  retard  these  periods 
by  our  methods  of  cultivation.  The  law  as  stated  by 
Lindley  is,  ' '  Whatever  produces  excessive  vigor  in  plants 
is  favorable  to  the  formation  of  leaf-buds,  and  unfavor- 
able to  the  production  of  flower-buds  ;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  such  circumstances  as  tend  to  diminish  lux- 
uriance, and  to  check  rapid  vegetation,  without  affecting 
the  health  of  the  individual,  are  more  favorable  to  the 
production  of  flower-buds  than  of  leaf-buds." 

(a.)  Root  Pruning,  if  performed  at  the  right  time, 
checks  too  vigorous  growth  in  highly  cultivated  trees  and 
renders  them  fruitful.  How  far  from  the  trunk  of  the 
tree  to  cut  off  the  roots  must  be  determined  by  the  size 
of  the  tree.  Wm.  Saunders  recommends  from  three  to 
six  feet  from  the  stem,  according  to  the  size  of  the  tree, 
and  to  perform  the  operation  by  digging  a  circular 
trench,  so  as  to  cut  off  all  the  roots.  He  says:  "  If  done 
in  August,  the  supply  of  sap  will  immediately  be  lessened, 
the  wood-maturing  principle  accelerated,  and  fruit-buds 
formed.  The  operation  has  been  performed  in  spring 
with  but  little  benefit,  but  if  done  in  the  fall  can  not  fail 
in  producing  the  desired  results."  F.  P.  Gasson  cuts  off 
the  roots  of  a  tree  four  inches  in  diameter,  within  two 
feet  of  the  trunk,  only  leaving  a  circle  of  roots  four  feet 
in  diameter ;  and  this,  too,  after  the  leaves  have  fallen  in 
autumn.  He  fertilizes  liberally  in  the  fall  with  solid 


70 


QUINCE    CULTURE. 


manure.  The  following  spring  and  summer  lie  waters 
well  with  rich  liquid  manure,  especially  if  the  weather  be 
dry;  and  besides,  gives  an  annual  dressing  of  lime.  As  a 
result  of  this  treatment  his  trees  make  short,  stiff  wood, 
well  supplied  with  fruit  buds.  He  thins  out  the  small 
and  poor  fruit,  and  then  allows  the  trees  to  bear  full 


Fig.  46.— FIVE  TEAR  OLD  TREE  BEFORE  PRUNING  (From  Photograph). 

crops.     The  pruning  is  done  every  second  year,  widening 
the  circle  of  roots  at  each  successive  priming. 

The  unproductive  tree  is  sometimes  brought  into  bear- 
ing by  being  transplanted.  The  check  to  growth  stops 
the  leaves  from  consuming  the  nutriment  accumulated 
in  the  branches,  and  which  they  would  have  expended  in 
making  more  wood,  and  so  nutritious  matter  accumulates 
and  fruit-buds  are  formed.  The  same  principle  is  seen 
to  operate  in  the  abundant  crops  that  follow  the  years 


PRUNING   THE   QUINCE.  71 

when  trees  have  their  crops  destroyed  by  late  frosts.  An 
excessive  crop  so  far  exhausts  the  nutritious  matter 
stored  in  the  branches,  that  the  tree  takes  an  off  year  to 
recover  and  lay  up  for  the  next. 

(#.)  Pruning  the  Limbs  to  promote  fruitfulness  must 
of  necessity  be  done  in  the  summer,  when  it  will  reduce 
the  young  wood-growth,  and  so  lead  to  such  an  accumu- 
lation of  sap  in  the  branch  as  will  organize  the  remaining 
buds  to  produce  fruit.  "  If  of  two  unequal  branches 


Fig.  47. — FIVE  TEAR  OLD  TREE  AFTER  PRUNING  (From  PTiotograph). 

the  stronger  is  shortened,  and  stopped  in  its  growth,  the 
other  becomes  stronger ;  and  this  is  one  of  the  most 
useful  facts  connected  with  pruning,  because  it  enables  a 
skillful  cultivator  to  equalize  the  rate  of  growth  of  all 
parts  of  a  tree." 

This  shortening  of  the  growing  twigs  should  be  done 
when  they  are  so  tender  they  can  be  pinched  off  with  the 
thumb  and  finger.  If  the  next  bud  immediately  pushes 
into  another  extension  of  the  shoot,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  pinch  off  again  a  little  further  on,  even  to  the  third 


72  QUINCE   CULTUKE. 

or  fourth  time.  An  excess  of  wood  is  the  occasion  of 
barrenness  oftener  than  is  supposed.  The  tree  exhausts 
its  strength  in  sustaining  and  extending  its  woody  fiber 
at  so  many  points,  that  it  has  little  vigor  left  to  form 
fruit-buds  or  mature  a  crop  of  fruit.  Nature  intimates 
this  sometimes  by  all  at  once  dropping  off  all  the  fruit 
that  is  set  after  an  abundant  blossoming.  The  outer 
branches  are  most  fruitful  as  a  rule ;  and  if  the  head  is 
kept  open  the  fruit  is  better. 

The  two  pictures  of  one  of  my  trees  are  an  illustration 
of  such  an  experience.     This  tree,  now  eight  years  old, 


Fig.  48.  Fig.  49. 

BAD  AND  GOOD  PRUNING.       RESULT  OF  BAD  PRUNING. 

grew  about  sixteen  inches  from  the  cutting  the  first 
year,  and  was  then  transplanted,  and  cut  back  to  within 
six  inches  of  the  ground.  The  second  year  it  made  a 
growth  of  four  shoots  of  about  five  feet  each ;  and  these, 
in  turn,  were  cut  back  to  about  three  feet,  throwing  out 
the  side  shoots  that  form  the  head.  When  five  years  old 
it  stood  eight  feet  and  five  inches  high  before  it  was 
pruned.  It  has  borne  since  it  was  three  years  old,  the 
last  crop  being  one  hundred  and  twenty  quinces,  the  two 
largest  filling  a  quart  can.  The  longest  shoot  grown 
with  this  crop  was  six  feet  and  four  inches,  in  the  midst 
of  several  others  only  a  little  shorter. 


PRUNING   THE   QUINCE. 


I  have  thus  far  treated  of  pruning  as  it  should  be  done 
with  the  knife  or  shears,  before  the  limbs  are  large 
enough  to  need  a  saw.  But  when  trees  have  been 
neglected  till  large  limbs  are  to  be  cut  off,  it  is  im- 
portant that  they  should  be  so  cut  as  to  give  a  good 
prospect  of  healing  over  ;  else  they  may  be  the  occasion 
of  decay  going  into  the  very  heart  of  the  tree.  If  the 
cut  is  made  several  inches  from  the  body,  there  is  no 
possibility  of  healing  over,  and  decay  is  inevitable.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  the  limb  is  cut  so  as  not  to  leave  a 
projecting  stump,  it  may  grow  over  entirely  in  a  few 


Fig.   50.— DECAY  FROM   BAD 
PRUNING. 


Fig.   51.— RIGHTLY   PRUNED 
BRANCHES  HEALED   OVER. 


years,  especially  if  well  waxed  or  painted.  As  a  rule,  if 
the  limb  cut  off  is  an  inch  or  more  in  diameter,  it  is  well 
to  cover  the  wound.  Gum  shellac  dissolved  in  alcohol 
to  the  thickness  of  paint  is  as  good  as  any  thing  to  apply. 
It  is  very  adhesive,  soon  hardens,  keeps  out  the  air  and 
water,  and  is  not  affected  by  weather  changes.  It  is  too 
thin  to  hinder  the  lip  of  the  growing  bark  from  closing 
over  the  wound.  Grafting  wax,  or  a  composition  of 
equal  parts  of  resin  and  tallow,  melted  and  applied  with 
a  brush  or  swab,  has  been  successfully  used.  A  medi- 
cated tar,  made  by  dissolving  half  an  ounce  of  corrosive 
sublimate  in  half  a  gill  of  spirit,  and  then  heating  and 


74  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

mixing  in  tar,  is  found  excellent.  If  too  thin  to  handle 
conveniently,  mix  in  a  little  whiting  or  chalk  dusfc.  Sal 
ammoniac  or  spirits  of  hartshorn  will  dissolve  the  corrosive 
sublimate  more  easily  than  the  spirit.  It  is  an  insecti- 
cide, and  when  a  gallon  of  soft  water  is  used  in  place  of 
the  tar  it  is  a  good  wash  to  kill  all  insects  and  their  eggs 
on  the  bark.  If  nothing  better  is  convenient,  a  little 
grease  of  any  kind  will  have  a  good  effect  on  the  wound. 
If  a  limb  bleeds  when  it  is  cut  off,  it  may  be  worth 
while  to  apply  Knight's  Composition  of  four  parts  scraped 
cheese  with  one  part  of  shell  lime,  or  other  pure  lime, 
pressing  the  composition  strongly  into  the  pores  of 
the  wood.  With  this  he  found  he  could  instantly  stop 
the  flow  of  sap  in  the  largest  branch.  The  worst  time 
to  prune  is  when  the  sap  begins  to  flow  actively  in  the 
spring.  By  contact  with  the  air  it  sours  and  becomes 
poison  to  the  bark.  We  ought  not  to  close  this  topic 
without  suggesting,  that  when  the  smaller  limbs  and 
twigs  are  cut  off  a  good  sharp  knife  is  not  always  the 
most  desirable  implement  to  use.  It  often  slips  and 
injures  what  is  not  intended  to  be  cut  away.  Small 
limbs  can  be  pruned  more  rapidly  with  a  good  pair  of 
shears. 


CHAPTER    XII. 
PROMOTING    FRUITFULNESS  WITHOUT    PRUNING. 

1.  THIS  may  be  done  by  restricting  root  growth   by 
pruning  or  cutting  in  the  roots,  as  described  on  a  former 
page,  and  need  not  be  repeated  here. 

2.  Bending  down   strong-growing   branches   without 
fruit-buds,  has  been  found  to  retard  the  circulation  of 
the  sap  sufficiently  to  induce  fruitfulness.     The  pendant 
form  becomes  fixed  by  a  single  season's  growth,  and  may 
be  so  skillfully  arranged  as  to  secure  symmetrical  and 


FLOWERS   AND   FRUIT.  75 

ornamental  trees.  July  and  August  are  favorable  months 
to  tie  down.  The  branches  are  secured  to  pegs  driven  in 
the  ground.  All  kinds  of  trees  and  plants  may  be  in- 
duced to  flower  and  fruit,  no  matter  how 
luxuriant  their  growth,  by  a  judicious  use 
of  the  bending  process. 

3.  Ringing  the  branches.     This  is  done 
by  taking  off  a  ring  of  bark  wide  enough 
to  arrest  the  circulation  of  the  sap,  com- 
pelling it  to  accumulate  above  the  ring. 
The  same  effect  is  often  produced  by  a 
ligature  made  of  wire.     The  effect  is  to 
produce  early  maturity  in  the  fruit  and 

an   increase  in  its   size,   but  at  the  ex-        RIifGINCL 
pense  of  its  quality.     There  seems,  how- 
ever, to  be  no  use  for  this  operation   on  the   quince. 

4.  Grafting  is  a  method  of  inducing  early  fruitfulness. 
A  cion  from  a  young  seedling  may  be  grafted  on  the 
limb  of  a  bearing  tree,  and  thus  be  brought  into  a  fruitful 
condition  much  sooner  than  if  left  on  the  seedling  stock. 
This  is  advantageous  in  testing  new  varieties. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 
FLOWERS    AND   FRUIT. 

IT  has  long  been  observed  that  a  very  full  blossoming 
often  results  in  but  little  fruit ;  sometimes  none  at  all. 
Why  is  it  thus  ?  A  variety  of  causes  may  operate  to 
produce  the  failure  of  fruit.  If  the  weather  be  so  un- 
favorable as  to  prevent  the  blossoms  from  performing 
their  appointed  work,  failure  is  inevitable.  When  the 
weather  is  very  dry  while  the  trees  are  in  bloom  the  fruc- 
tification is  often  too  imperfect  to  set  the  fruit,  and  the 
blossoms  dry  up  and  drop  off.  Or,  on  the  other  hand, 


76  QUIKCE  CULTURE. 

if  there  happens  to  be  a  long  wet  spell  just  at  the  time 
of  blossoming,  I  have  observed  that  the  beating  rain  pre- 
vents the  blossoms  from  performing  their  natural  office 
of  fructifying,  and  failure  follows.  For  the  pollen  of 
the  stamens  to  become  perfectly  matured,  it  is  necessary 
that  the  blossoms  have  a  few  days  of  favorable  weather 
after  they  are  expanded,  to  enable  them  to  fulfill  their 
office.  A  tree  may  appear  to  have  but  a  few  blossoms, 
but  with  favorable  weather  for  all  to  become  perfected, 
so  that  each  produces  fruit,  there  may  be  an  excellent 
crop.  As  a  rule  we  want  our  trees  to  carry  too  much. 

Again,  blossoms  will  be  found  to  fail  because  of  the 
severity  of  the  preceding  winter.  It  may  destroy  the 
germs  of  the  fruit  without  killing  the  other  parts  of  the 
blossom.  In  such  cases,  all  will  appear  to  go  right  for  a 
time;  but,  as  with  other  things  in  nature,  the  antecedent 
cause  will  ultimately  produce  its  legitimate  effect,  and 
the  beautiful  blooming  proves  to  be  only  the  forerunner 
of  disappointed  hopes. 

Still  again,  a  tree  may  blossom  abundantly,  and  the 
fruit  set  and  grow  for  a  while,  but  all  at  once  the  whole 
falls  off.  This  may  arise  from  the  tree  being  too  feeble 
to  sustain  the  crop  set.  Like  a  man  with  too  heavy  a 
load  for  his  strength,  he  carries  it  all  a  little  way,  and 
then  drops  it  exhausted. 

Once  more,  it  will  be  noticed  that  some  varieties  are 
more  likely  to  fail  after  a  full  blossoming  than  others 
growing  near  them.  This  is  chiefly  owing  to  the  differ- 
ence of  vigor  and  fruitfulness  in  different  varieties. 

A  study  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  different  varieties  is 
of  great  importance  to  the  cultivator.  It  is  a  matter  of 
interest  to  observe  that  the  great  number  of  blossoms 
provided  for  in  the  economy  of  nature  is  to  secure  the 
certainty  of  fertility.  Many  will  dry  up  and  disappear 
as  soon  as  they  have  done  their  fructifying  work,  while 
those  attached  to  the  stems  bearing  the  fertilized  fruit 


THINHIHG   THE   FRUIT.  77 

do  not  so  soon  disappear.  The  petals  retain  their  color 
and  stand  out  with  prominence  so  long  after  the  others 
have  withered  away  as  to  suggest  a  second  blossoming. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 
THINNING   THE    FRUIT. 

THE  story  is  told  of  a  man  who  said  it  took  him  thirty 
years  to  get  moral  courage  to  prune  his  fruit  trees.  A 
large  proportion  of  cultivators  never  attain  the  courage 
of  their  convictions  in  this  matter.  By  far  the  most  ex- 
peditious method  of  thinning  fruit  is  to  prune  judi- 
ciously. In  some  varieties,  after  having  pruned  quite 
severely,  there  is  too  much  fruit  set  to  be  carried  to 
maturity,  and  a  large  thinning  out  is  a  necessity  to  pre- 
vent the  trees  from  overbearing.  To  many,  it  seems  an 
unjustifiable  waste  to  pull  off  the  finely-set  specimens ; 
and  with  a  serious  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  oper- 
ation, they  allow  their  trees  to  overbear.  As  an  inevi- 
table result,  the  fruit  is  small  and  inferior,  the  trees 
are  overtaxed  in  the  effort  to  mature  more  than  they 
are  able  to  perfect,  and,  as  a  consequence,  they  must 
have  an  off  year  to  rest  and  recuperate.  "We  hardly 
realize  that,  a  tree  is  overbearing  till  the  fruit  has  at- 
tained considerable  size,  and  then  we  hate  to  pull  off 
enough  to  relieve  the  strain.  I  sometimes  take  off  half 
or  two-thirds,  and  then  there  is  a  plenty  left  to  be  of  the 
first  quality.  The  number  of  bushels  will  be  about  the 
same,  and  the  quality  of  the  fruit  greatly  improved.  In 
years  of  abundance  the  large  fruit  will  sell  when  the 
small  finds  no  market  at  any  price.  This  difference  in 
the  market  value  of  fine  fruit  and  that  produced  by 
overbearing  trees  shows  the  great  importance  of  properly 
thinning. 


78  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

The  thinning  of  quinces  should  not  be  done  till 
we  can  judge  pretty  well  which  would  fall  of  them- 
selves ;  and  this  generally  shows  quite  well  by  the  time 
they  are  as  large  as  a  man's  thumb.  Whether  this 
natural  thinning  is  the  effect  of  insect  stings,  or  of  dry 
weather  reducing  the  moisture  below  a  sufficiency,  or  of 
a  natural  selection  securing  "  the  survival  of  the  fittest," 
is  not  always  easy  to  determine.  Besides  all  these  reduc- 
tions, it  will  often  be  best  to  remove  many  others  from 
very  prolific  trees.  If,  for  any  cause,  thinning  has  been 
delayed  till  the  fruit  is  quite  advanced,  still  it  is  best  to 
do  it,  and  relieve  the  strain  on  the  tree.  By  combining 
with  this  thinning  of  the  fruit  a  thorough  cultivation 
of  the  soil,  a  poor  variety  may  excel  a  better  one  that  is 
neglected.  This  will  be  more  especially  observable  in 
young  trees.  They  seem  to  be  more  easily  affected  than 
when  older.  But  even  the  old  trees  seem  to  be  rejuve- 
nated and  show  fruit  improved  beyond  their  possibilities 
under  neglect. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  deformed  and  imper- 
fect specimens  are  first  to  be  removed,  with  any  that 
show  signs  of  insect  stings ;  and  that  all  wormy  fruit 
should  be  destroyed  or  placed  where  the  worms  will  die. 
Deep  burial  in  the  earth  will  generally  kill  them  ;  so  will 
fire  or  water.  If  taken  as  early  as  it  ought  to  be,  the 
green  fruit  will  have  little  value  as  food  for  any  kind  of 
stock. 


CHAPTER    XV. 
GATHERING    AND    MARKETING. 

IF  the  trees  have  been  properly  pruned  annually,  it 
will  be  a  long  time  before  they  are  too  high  to  reach 
the  fruit  from  the  ground.  When,  in  time,  the  fruit  is 


GATHERING   AND  MARKETING.  79 

borne  too  high  to  reach,  a  common  step-ladder  will  be 
found  convenient.  A  cheap  and  convenient  step-ladder 
may  be  made  out  of  two  pine  boards,  six  inches  wide  and 
one  inch  thick,  for  sides.  The  steps  should  be  of  the 
same  width,  and  mortised  into  them,  with  a  wider  board 
for  the  top.  The  bottom  should  be  wide  enough  to 
stand  firmly,  and  the  top  only  wide  enough  for  standing 
room,  with  a  basket  for  the  fruit. 

The  stave  basket,  being  smooth  inside,  and  therefore 
less  liable  to  bruise  the  fruit,  is  preferred  to  the  old 
splint  or  chip  basket.  The  size  used  to  be  for  five  half 


Fig.  53.— A   CHEAP   STEP-L ADDER.  Fig.  54.— STAVE   BASKET. 

pecks,  but  now  it  is  generally  for  four.  The  old  standard 
crate  for  shipping  fruit  was  eight  inches  wide,  fourteen 
deep,  and  twenty-three  and  a  half  long,  outside  measure. 
The  ends  and  partition  were  cut  from  three-quarter  inch 
pine,  seven  and  a  half  wide  by  fourteen  inches  long. 
The  bottom  and  top  were  six  and  a  half  wide,  and  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  thick.  The  sides  were  of  four  slats  of 
the  same  thickness,  and^two  and  a  half  inches  wide.  The 
whole  crate  consisted  of  thirteen  pieces,  often  with  a 
planed  end  for  marking.  These  proportions  are  varied, 
some  being  wider  and  shorter,  or  narrower  and  deeper, 


80  QUIKCE   CULTURE. 

according  to  the  choice  of  the  shipper  or  maker. 
Crates  being  seldom  returned  as  "empties,"  they  are 
about  enough  less  in  capacity  than  the  bushel  to  cover 
the  cost  of  the  crate.  Baskets  are  now  returned,  but 
probably  will  not  be  much  longer. 

For  marketing,  as  well  as  for  home  use,  quinces  should 
not  be  gathered  until  fully  ripe,  as  they  do  not,  like  ap- 
ples, pears,  and  peaches,  ripen  up  in  color  and  flavor 
after  they  are  picked.  If  gathered  too  early  the  quince  is 
comparatively  worthless.  If  the  cultivator  of  the  quince 
does  not  desire  at  once  to  dispose  of  his  fruit,  the  later 
ripening  sorts  can  be  kept  for  a  long  time  by  being  care- 
fully spread  out  in  a  cool  chamber  till  the  frost  necessi- 


Fig.  55.— FRUIT  CRATE. 

tates  their  removal  to  the  cellar.  With  proper  care 
quinces  may  be  kept  till  April  in  common  cellars. 
Of  course,  with  retarding-house  conveniences  all  fruits 
may  be  kept  at  will.  As  a  rule,  it  will  be  found  that  the 
best  time  to  use  or  sell  quinces  is  soon  after  they  are 
ripe.  If  kept  too  long  the  demand  for  them,  as  with 
most  other  fruits,  ceases,  and  they  are  not  sought  for. 

There  is  always  a  market  for  quinces  in  the  large 
cities,  and,  if  the  quality  is  good,  at  paying  prices ;  but 
often  the  best  market  will  be  in  some  of  the  smaller 
cities  and  towns.  The  producer  will  find  it  advanta- 
geous to  lookout  for  such  markets  before  the  fruit  is  ripe, 
so  as  to  know  just  where  to  send  it  when  ready.  There 
is  a  class  of  customers  who  always  want  the  best  fruit, 
and  are  willing  to  pay  for  it.  The  best  is  found  in  the 
end  to  be  the  cheapest. 


THE   PROFITS   OF   QUINCE   CULTURE.  81 

CHAPTER    XVI. 
THE   PROFITS    OF    QUINCE    CULTURE. 

THE  profit  of  quince  raising  depends,  first,  on  the  vari- 
ety raised,  some  being  too  unfruitful  to  ever  yield  profit- 
able crops  ;  next,  on  the  skill  and  care  of  the  cultivator, 
the  best  varieties  being  unprofitable  when  neglected ;  and, 
lastly,  on  the  demands  of  markets.  Hitherto  there  has 
been  a  market  for  even  poor  quinces;  but  as  crops  increase, 
only  good  fruit  will  be  in  demand  at  paying  prices. 

N.  Ohmer,  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  reported,  in  1869,  that  he 
had  two  acres  in  quinces ;  that  three-fourths  of  an  acre, 
ten  years  planted,  had  yielded  crops  six  years  regularly; 
and  that  in  1868  he  gathered  from  three-quarters  of  an 
acre  300  bushels,  which  he  sold  at  $2.50  a  bushel,  whole- 
sale. A  New  York  cultivator  of  the  Rea's  Mammoth 
raised  on  a  third  of  an  acre  a  crop  worth  $500.  I  have 
found  a  ready  market  for  quinces  when  well  put  up  in 
both  tin  and  glass  cans,  at  paying  prices,  in  the  markets 
of  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  smaller  cities. 

My  first  planting  of  the  Meech's  Prolific  was  only 
eight  feet  apart,  quincunx,  and  the  trees  averaged  half  a 
peck  when  five  years  old ;  doubled  it  the  next  year,  and 
trebled  it  when  seven  years  old.  Taking  one  year  with 
another,  my  entire  crop  has  averaged  $2.50  a  bushel.  I 
found,  when  the  trees  were  eight  years  old,  that  they 
averaged  $1.22  a  tree  that  year,  being  about  $450  an  acre. 
The  Rea's  has  yielded  a  crop  next  in  value  to  the  Prolific 
at  my  place  in  Vineland,  N.  J. 

By  the  report  of  the  New  Jersey  Horticultural  Society 
for  1884,  it  will  be  seen  that  C.  L.  Jones  had  a  yield  of 
782,  making  seven  and  a  half  bushels,  from  two  trees  in 
his  yard  at  Newark.  He  sold  many  of  them  at  $6  a 
hundred,  realizing  $22.50,  besides  having  200  for  himself 


82  QUIHCE  CULTURE. 

and  friends.  The  two  trees  had  been  ten  years  planted, 
and  show  what  can  be  realized  from  the  most  favorable 
conditions  of  growth  and  marketing.  From  the  prices 
reported  in  several  other  States,  the  successful  cultivator 
of  this  fruit  could  not  fail  to  make  it  profitable. 


CHAPTEE    XVII. 
DISEASES    OF   THE    QUINCE. 

DISEASES  in  trees  arise  from  a  variety  of  causes,  such 
as  insect  depredations,  loss  of  vitality  from  bacteria,  and 
fungi  preying  on  the  living  tissue;  or  there  may  be  organic 
disease  reproduced  from  unhealthy  stocks  and  seeds. 
One  form  of  existence  is  destroyed  to  produce  another. 
The  elements  of  life  by  death  and  decay  enter  into  new 
forms  of  life.  Disease  in  one  department  of  nature  may 
provide  for  a  want  in  another. 

The  chief  known  causes  of  disease  in  quinces  are 
bacteria  and  fungi.  They  are  both  low  forms  of  vege- 
table life,  the  first  multiplying  by  the  division  of  a  single 
cell,  the  second  producing  several  spores  in  a  cell.  Of 
the  various  bacteria,  each  acts  in  a  way  peculiar  to  itself. 
Some  produce  disease,  some  act  as  ferments,  others  assist 
in  the  ripening  of  fruits,  and  still  others  aid  in  the  re- 
generation of  organic  matter  to  form  cell-structure. 

The  fungi  are  cellular,  flowerless  plants,  which  receive 
their  sustenance  from  the  earth  or  the  organized  bodies 
on  which  they  grow.  They  differ  from  other  plants,  in 
general,  in  chemical  composition,  being  chiefly  nitrogen 
instead  of  carbon  ;  and  in  their  method  of  growth,  ab- 
sorbing oxygen  and  giving  out  carbonic  acid.  All  the 
higher  forms  of  plant  life  may  have  one  or  more  of  these 
low  forms  to  prey  on  it  as  a  parasite  by  its  absorbing 


DISEASES   OF  THE   QUINCE.  83 

roots  or  mycelium,  or  live  within  it  as  a  saprophyte.  A 
healthy  tree  possesses  sufficient  vigor  to  resist  the  attacks 
of  diseases,  and  may  grow  on  successfully  when  a  feeble  tree 
would  be  destroyed.  A  fungus  may  be  so  concealed  in 
the  tissues  of  a  plant  on  which  it  is  thriving,  that  its 
presence  will  only  be  known  by  the  mycelium  cropping 
out  with  spores  on  the  surface. 

1.  QUINCE  BLIGHT. — It  seems  to  be  well  established 
that  this  disease,  also  called  fire  blight  and  twig  blight, 
is  the  same  as  the  pear  blight  in  the  pear  and  the  apple 
blight  in  the  apple.  The  disease  has  been  produced  in  the 
June-berry  (AmelanMer  Canadensis),  the  English  Haw- 
thorn (Cratcegus  Oxycaniha],  and  the  Evergreen  Thorn 
(Cratcegus  Pyracantha),  by  inoculation,  and  may  prob- 
ably be  so  produced  in  any  member  of  this  family  of  trees. 
Every  part  of  the  tree  above  ground  is  subject  to  its 
attacks.  It  may  extend  only  to  tender  twigs,  or  it  may 
entirely  destroy  the  tree.  The  presence  of  this  disease 
may  be  recognized  by  the  granular  appearance  of  the 
bark  on  the  tender  twigs,  accompanied  by  the  exuding 
of  a  gummy  substance,  of  a  peculiar  odor,  quite  sticky  to 
the  fingers  in  the  morning  after  a  heavy  dew,  and  drying 
up  so  as  to  glisten  in  the  sun,  when  it  forms  into  granu- 
lations on  the  discolored  bark.  This  gummy  substance, 
as  seen  through  a  microscope,  resembles  filamentous 
threads,  each  being  strung  with  sacks  of  bacteria,  ready 
to  burst  and  scatter  their  infinitesimal  germs  by  the  aid 
of  the  lightest  breeze,  or  to  be  washed  to  the  earth  by 
summer  showers.  The  author  was  aided  in  examining 
this  gum  from  a  blighted  twig  by  Prof.  J.  B.  Ellis, 
author  of  "  North  American  Fungi,"  and  it  was  found 
that  so  little  as  could  be  picked  up  on  the  point  of  a  pen- 
knife, put  into  a  drop  of  water  on  the  glass  slide  of  his 
microscope,  revealed  an  innumerable  number  of  spores, 
or  bacteria,  too  small  to  be  described.  The  stomata  of 
a  leaf,  examined  at  the  same  time,  was  large  enough  to 


84  QUINCE  CtJLTUKE. 

take  in  a  dozen  of  them  at  once.  Hence  the  ease  with 
which  the  disease  may  be  spread. 

Prof.  J.  0.  Arthur,  botanist  of  the  New  York  Agricul- 
tural Station,  who  has  given  much  time  to  the  study  of 
this  disease,  suggests  that  "The  bacteria  escape  from 
the  tissues  in  the  slimy  drops  that  ooze  out  from  the 
diseased  parts,  especially  in  damp  weather.  They  are 
washed  off  and  freed  from  the  viscid  part  by  rains,  and 
upon  becoming  dry  are  taken  up  by  the  winds.  Being 
now  suspended  in  the  air,  a  damp  day,  dewy  night,  or 
light  rain  would  bring  them  in  contact  with  the  delicate 
surface  tissues  of  fresh  cracks  or  wounds,  in  the  most 
favorable  way  to  introduce  the  contagion.  This  is  quite 
in  accordance  with  the  fact  that  the  disease  usually  starts 
at  the  ends  of  the  branches,  but  also  appears  sometimes 
on  the  larger  limbs,  and  even  the  trunks.  It  also  ex- 
plains the  fact  that  the  rankest  growers  are  most  subject 
to  attack,  these  exposing  more  tender  surfaces,  and,  upon 
the  disease  obtaining  a  foothold,  furnishing  more  succu- 
lent tissues."  Insects  are  almost  sure  to  carry  the  disease 
wherever  they  go,  after  contact  with  these  exudations. 

The  theory  that  ascribes  the  blight  to  bacteria  is  so 
well  proved  that  it  is  needless  to  notice  the  older  theories 
which  obtained  before  1880,  when  Prof.  T.  J.  Bun-ill,  of 
Illinois,  began  experiments  to  demonstrate  this.  "The 
bacteria  connected  with  pear  blight  are  all  of  one  kind, 
and  of  only  one  kind  :  not  the  bacteria  of  putrefaction 
or  of  animal  diseases,  but  a  kind  that  have  never  been 
found  anywhere  except  in  blighted  fruit  trees.  These 
have  been  named  Micrococcus  amylovorus.  The  former 
word,  the  generic  name,  means  very  minute  bodies;  the  sec- 
ond, or  specific  name,  means  that  they  are  lovers  of  starch. 
They  are  very  minute  vegetable  organisms,  and  live  on 
starch  or  similar  substances.  They  multiply  by  dividing 
into  two,  like  the  figure  8;  these  divide  again,  this  process 
of  division  and  subdivision  going  on  very  rapidly." 


DISEASES   OF  THE   QUINCE.  85 

The  bacterial  theory  seems  to  account  for  all  the 
phenomena  connected  with  this  disease.  The  bacteria 
found  in  the  disease  will  produce  it  from  inoculation  in 
about  a  week;  and  by  the  second  week  the  stem  and 
leaves  of  the  twig  will  be  dead,  and  by  the  third  week 
the  disease  will  be  extended  down  the  limb,  marking  its 
progress  by  the  brown  bark  and  blackened  leaves  peculiar 
to  the  blight. 

Bacteria  may  enter  through  the  flowers  as  well  as  the 
tender  tissues  of  the  growing  twigs,  or  any  opening  in 
the  older  bark  of  the  trunk  and  limbs.  No  visible  effect 
is  likely  to  be  seen  for  several  weeks.  In  June,  and  on- 
ward for  a  number  of  months,  it  may  be  seen  as  branch 
after  branch  reveals  its  presence.  It  grows  very  slowly 
in  cold  weather,  and  rapidly  in  warm  and  moist  weather. 

I  have  found  the  annual  salting  of  both  quince  and 
pear  trees,  when  done  before  the  spring  growth  begins, 
to  operate  as  a  preventive ;  but  can  not  say  there  will 
be  none  in  the  future.  Later  salting  has  not  always  pre- 
vented it.  When  the  disease  is  manifest,  no  time  should 
be  lost  in  removing  and  burning  the  diseased  portions. 
Be  sure  to  cut  far  enough  below  the  affected  parts  to  re- 
move all  the  disease. 

So  long  as  there  remains  any  portion  of  the  trunk  or 
branches  not  encircled  with  the  blight,  the  tree  may  re- 
cover. I  have  trees  that  have  done  good  service  for 
several  years,  which  were  all  destroyed  except  a  strip  on 
one  side.  The  diseased  parts  were  cut  away,  splitting  off 
the  blighted  wood  from  one  side  of  the  trunk,  and  the 
rest  has  grown  well,  now  nearly  covering  the  split  portion. 

Accepting  the  bacterial  theory  of  the  disease,  we  might 
propose  to  control  it  by  spraying  the  trees  with  some 
antiseptic  ;  but  in  practice  the  best  thing  we  can  do  is 
to  prevent  it  as  far  as  possible,  and  diligently  destroy 
every  trace  of  the  disease. 

The  microscope  shows  that  both  leaves  and  fruit  are 


86 


QUINCE  CULTURE. 


more  or  less  protected  by  a  coating  of  natural  varnish,  sup- 
posed to  be  wax  or  silica.  Whatever  it  may  be,  it  is  best 
to  observe  what  soils  and  fertilizers  supply  it.  Ashes  and 
lime  are  found  to  improve  the  quality  of  fruit,  and  it 
may  be  assumed,  also,  that  they  increase  the  vigor  of 
growth,  and  so  aid  in  resisting  the  attacks  of  bacterial 
and  fungoid  diseases. 

2.  OEANGE  BUST  (Rcestilia  aurantiaca,  Peck;  Cen- 
tridium  Cydonice,  Ellis).— This  fungus  affects  the  stems 
and  fruit  of  the  quince  in  June  and  onward.  In  a  single 


Fig.  56.— STEM  AT  A  BUD  AS  AFFECTED  BY  THE  R.ESTILIA  AUEANTIACA. 

instance  I  have  seen  it  on  the  leaf  stalk.  The  spores 
are  of  a  beautiful  orange  color,  globose  in  shape,  with  a 
membranous  envelope,  and  are  produced  in  sacks  or 
pustules,  which  form  an  enlargement  on  the  stems,  re- 
sembling the  black  knot  of  plum  and  cherry  trees.  The 
little  blackened  quinces  remaining  on  the  trees  after 
the  leaves  have  fallen,  attest  its  destruction  of  the  fruit, 
and  warn  us  against  its  neglect.  Once  in  a  while  a  stem 
survives  its  attacks,  and  so  of  the  fruit.  As  the  disease 
progresses  the  granules  burst,  forcing  their  sides  upward, 


DISEASES   OF   THE   QUINCE. 


and  opening  out  with  a  multitude  of  cups,  notched  at 
the  edge,  and  shedding  a  profusion  of  yellow  dust,  which, 
as  it  falls,  reminds  one  of  the  shower  of  sparks  from  an 
ascending  rocket.  The  cups  are  bell-shaped,  edged  with 
a  pretty  fringe  around  their  margins ;  and  are  so  nu- 
merous as  to  entirely  girdle  the  twig  or  half  cover  the 
fruit. 

These  cups,  called  peridia  by  mycologists,  appear  to 
have  burst  through  the  outer  covering  of  the  bark  on 


Fig.  57.— STEM  BETWEEN  BUDS  AFFECTED  BY  THE  K^ESTILIA  AURANTIACA. 

the  twigs  and  the  skin  of  the  fruit.  The  cups  some- 
times rise  a  tenth  of  an  inch  above  the  surface,  with  the 
lower  parts  attached  to  the  substratum.  The  bursting' 
peridia  shed  a  liberal  shower  of  their  golden  dust  around 
them,  whicli  is  scattered  by  the  winds,  carrying  the  spores, 
or,  more  strictly,  the  protospores,  because  they  produce 
the  true  spores  or  fruit,  so  that  each  grain  of  this  dust  is 
the  seed  of  more  of  these  epiphytal  plants.  Before  the 
oidium  or  fungus  bursts  out  in  the  clusters  of  cups  so 
prolific  of  dust,  the  surfaces  of  affected  parts  show  numer- 


88 


QUIKCE   CULTUKE. 


ous  little  elevations  or  pustules,  which  become  ruptured 
as  ripeness  is  attained,  when  the  fungus  pushes  through 
the  opening,  at  the  same  time  bursting  by  radiating 
fissures,  and  forming  a  fringed  edge  of  the  cups.  The 
fringed  edges  are  often  recurved,  revealing  the  orange 
spores  crowded  together  within.  At  first,  and  while 
contained  within  the  peridium,  they  are  concatinate  or 


Fig.  58. — FRUIT  AND  STEM  AS  AFFECTED  BT  THE  RJESTILIA  AURANTIACA. 

chained  together ;  but  when  dispersed  they  are  scattered 
about  the  orifice,  and  often  mixed  with  the  colorless 
cells  from  which  they  have  issued. 

A  slice  of  the  fruit  cut  out  before  the  fungi  are  matured 
enough  to  burst  the  cells,  shows  the  yellow  color  of  the 
dust  in  its  granular  formation,  as  confined  by  the  cellular 
substance  of  the  cups.  Each  of  the  protospores  con- 


DISEASES   OF   THE    QUIKCE.  89 

tained  within  the  peridia  may  germinate,  and  produce 
not  only  one,  but  many  vegetative  spores,  which  are  ex- 
ceedingly minute,  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  embryos 
of  a  fresh  crop  of  fungi.  If  a  vertical  section  be  made, 
the  fungi  will  be  seen  to  spring  from  beneath,  the  spores 
or  protospores  being  clustered  at  the  bottom.  The  tooth- 
like  fringe  is  only  a  continuation  of  the  cellular  substance 
of  the  cups. 

Tt  is  possible  that  the  fluid  parts  of  the  spores  are 
absorbed  by  the  growing  plant,  and  as  the  result,  the 
plant  has  become  inoculated  with  the  virus,  which  is  so 
destructive  as  often  to  discourage  the  horticulturist.  It 


Fig.  59.— SPORE   OP  THE   K^ES- 
TILIA,   MAGNIFIED  400 

DIAMETERS.  Fig.  60.— ALLORHINA  NITIDA. 

requires  a  great  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  reach  the 
possible  limit  of  their  mysterious  increase  and  consequent 
injury. 

The  spores  of  the  Rmstilia  aurantiaca  are  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  thousandths  of  a  millimeter  in 
diameter. 

The  only  effective  remedy  yet  discovered,  is  to  gather 
and  burn  the  affected  parts  of  stems  and  fruit  before  the 
spores  are  scattered  to  spread  the  disease. 

The  RcBstilia  aurantiaca  on  twigs  attracts  the  com- 
mon green  and  brown  dung  beetle,  Allorhina  nitida.  It 
\^^,scarib(BidcB  about  the  size  of  the  common  brown  May 
beetle,  and  very  strong.  This  beetle,  though  a  friend  to 


90  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

the  quince  cultivator,  sometimes  eats  into  corn  and  vari- 
ous fruits. 

3.  QUINCE  LEAF  BROWNNESS  (Morthiera  Mespili  v. 
Cydonice,  C.  and  E.). — This  fungoid  disease  of  the 
leaves  is  indicated  by  reddish-brown  spots,  which  show 
on  both  sides  of  the  leaf,  with  a  small  black  speck  in  the 
center  of  each  spot,  which  speck,  on  being  magnified, 
appears  to  be  four  spores  in  one,  each  of  the  four  being 
elliptical,  and  ending  in  a  thread  as  long  as  itself.  The 


Fig.  61.— LEAVES  AFFECTED  BY  MORTHIERA  MESPILI. 

rounded  spots  extend  into  coalescing  brown  patches, 
sometimes  covering  a  large  part  of  the  leaf.  The  en- 
largement of  the  spots  is  due  to  the  extension  of  the 
mycelium  of  the  spores,  which,  as  the  disease  progresses, 
kills  the  leaves,  and  they  drop  to  the  ground.  The  older 
leaves  generally  show  the  disease  first,  and  from  them  it 
extends  toward  the  ends  of  the  branches,  sometimes  nearly 
defoliating  the  tree.  It  occurs  on  trees  of  every  age. 
In  studying  this  disease,  Soraner  put  some  spores  on  a 


DISEASES   OF  THE   QUINCE.  91 

healthy  pear  leaf,  which  there  germinated,  and  in  two 
weeks  produced  the  brown  spots  with  the  black  specks  in 
the  center.  In  the  winter  he  found  on  the  fallen  leaves 


Fig.  62.—  MORTHIERA  MESPILI,  MAGNIFIED         Fig.  63.— MYCELIUM  OP 
400  DIAMETERS.  THE  FUNGI  MAGNIFIED. 

what  he  thought  to  be  the  same  fungus,  producing  an- 
other set  of  spores  (ascospores),  which  became  ripe  in 
April  and  May.  Such  fungi  are  able  to  grow  slowly 
through  the  winter,  ready  to  spread  the  disease  on  the 
new  leaves  in  the  spring.  He  also  found  the  fun- 
gus capable  of  wintering  on  the  bud-scales,  without 
entering  on  a  second  stage  of  development.  Young 
and  weakly  trees  are  more  susceptible  to  its  attacks  than 
stronger  growing  trees.  The  pear  and  thorn  are  also 
subject  to  its  attacks.  The  only  sure  remedy  is  to  gather 
and  destroy  the  leaves. 

4.  YELLOW  LEAF  SPOTS  (Hendersonia  Cydonice,  C. 
and  E.). — This  is  another  fungus  on 
quince  leaves,  resembling  the  Morthiera 
mespili,  except  that  the  spots  on  the 
leaves  are  yellow  and  produce  a  thick- 
ening of  the  leaf,  with  a  development 
on  the  under  side  of  the  spots  like  the 
bursting  of  the  cluster  cups  of  the  Rces- 
tilia  aurantiaca,  only  smaller.  The  HENDERSONIA  CT- 
spores  are  elliptical,  marked  with  three  DONIA,  MAGNIFIED 
bars  across,  dividing  them  into  four  400  DIAMETERS. 


92  QUIKCE   CULTURE. 

parts,  as  shown  in  the  cut.  The  destruction  of  affected 
leaves  is  recommended,  especially  as  many  of  them  are 
also  affected  with  both  of  these  fungi  together. 

5.  LEAF  MILDEW  (Podosphcera  tridactyla,  Wall). — 
This  disease  consists  of  a  parasitic  white  mildew  spread- 
ing interlacing  filaments  over  both  surfaces  of  the  leaves, 
but  developed  most  perfectly  on  the  upper  side.  The 
disease  appears  in  June,  producing  a  multitude  of  color- 
less spores,  which  spread  the  fungus  rapidly  to  other 
leaves  and  trees.  Late  in  July  it  produces  its  fruit 


Fig.  65.— LEAVES  AFFECTED  BY   THE  HENDERSONIA   CTDONIA. 

as  so  many  dust-like  dots  of  regular  form  and  size. 
These  round,  dust-like  specks  are  the  sacks  which 
contain  the  resting  spores,  which  withstand  the  rigors  of 
winter,  and  reproduce  the  leaf  mildew  the  next  year.  It 
is  most  thrifty  on  the  leaves  of  a  vigorous  tree ;  but, 
with  the  favor  of  shade,  may  thrive  on  a  weakly  tree.  It 
is  also  found  on  the  leaves  of  apple  trees,  and  proves  very 
injurious  to  cherry  leaves,  often  causing  them  to  fall 
prematurely.  Sulphur  dusted  on  the  leaves  when  they 
are  wet  is  recommended  as  a  remedy. 


DISEASES   OF  THE   QUINCE.  93 

6.  LEAF  BLIGHT. — This  is  very  unlike  the  leaf  blight 
of  the  apple  and  pear.  The  specimens  examined  have 
not  yet  revealed  to  us  the  cause.  It  first  appears  on  the 
edges  of  the  leaves  ;  sometimes  on  one  side  only,  but  more 
generally  reaching  nearly  all  the  way  around  the  leaf.  At 
first  it  is  of  a  reddish  brown  ;  but  as  it  extends  inward 
toward  the  mid  vein,  it  gradually  assumes  a  deeper  hue, 
till  at  last  it  is  almost  jet  black,  and  covers  very  nearly 
all  the  blade  of  the  leaf.  As  the  disease  progresses  the 


Fig.  66. — LEAF  BLIGHT. 

edges  of  the  tenderer  leaves  curl  upward,  and  eventually 
the  whole  dies  and  falls. 

7.  QUINCE  ROT  (Sphceropsis  Cydonice,  C.  and  E.). — 
This  disease  usually  begins  at  a  few  points  on  the  surface 
of  the  fruit,  and  spreads  regularly  in  enlarging  circles 
until  the  whole  fruit  is  decayed.  As  these  spots  enlarge, 
the  centers  grow  dark,  and  soon  may  be  seen  as  a  mass  of 
black  points,  which  contain  a  multitude  of  brown  spores, 
each  capable  of  spreading  the  disease.  A  sound  quince 


04  QUINCE  CULTURE!. 

being  inoculated  with  a  piece  of  the  surface  of  one  dis- 
eased, the  spores  germinated,  and  the  rotting  slowly 
progressed  to  the  twenty-second  day,  under  a  bell  glass, 
when  the  decayed  spot  was  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diam- 
eter, and  showed  fruiting  points  of  the  disease. 

So  long  as  the  wax-like  covering  of  fruit  remains  per- 
fect, it  is  difficult  for  the  spores  of  disease  to  affect  it ; 
but  the  sting  of  an  insect,  the  abrasion  of  a  chafing  limb, 
or  a  bruise  will  make  a  way  for  the  germs  of  disease  to 
enter.  Hence  the  importance  of  great  care  in  handling 
the  fruit.  No  other  preventive  is  known  for  this  disease. 

8.  BARK  BOUND  or  HIDE  BOUND. — This  may  arise 
from  the  depredations  of  scale  insects  weakening  the 
vitality  of  the  cells,  or  it  may  arise  from  an  undue  reduc- 
tion of  the  top  in  pruning  or  grafting,  producing  a  dis- 
proportion between  the  leaves  and  the  numerous  cells 
under  the  bark,  by  which  their  expansive  force  is  weak- 
ened too  much  to  push  out  the  bark ;  or  injury  to  the 
roots  may  so  far  weaken  the  power  of  these  ceils  that 
they  become  unequal  to  the  task  required  of  them.  Pro- 
vision is  made  for  the  expansion  of  the  bark  by  the  forma- 
tion of  cork-like  cells,  called  suber  cells,  which  expand  so 
as  to  rupture  the  outer  bark,  and  allow  a  proper  enlarge- 
ment of  the  growing  tree.  Every  tree  has  its  own  suber 
cell,  and  so  the  rifts  in  the  bark  of  each  are  according  to 
its  own  peculiar  character,  no  two  appearing  just  alike. 
When,  from  any  cause,  the  tree  has  become  larlc  lound, 
a  slit  of  the  knife  will  help  in  doing  what  these  cells 
failed  to  perform.  The  slit  should  be  very  carefully 
made,  lest,  instead  of  helping,  it  injure  the  tree  by  its 
severity.  Be  very  sure  the  malady  exists  before  the 
remedy  is  applied,  or  great  harm  may  follow. 


WINTER-KILLING.  05 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
WINTER -KILLING. 

THERE  is  a  difference  in  the  hardiness  of  quince  trees. 
Some  varieties  endure  severe  freezing  better  than  others. 
A  variety  that  lives  one  winter  may  die  the  next  because 
of  the  changes  surrounding  it ;  and  so  a  tender  variety 
may  live,  when  one  naturally  more  hardy  dies.  Sudden 
changes  often  work  disastrously.  This  was  seen  in  the 
winter  of  1853-4  in  a  belt  of  country  extending  from 
New  York  to  Michigan.  Quince  trees  and  pear  trees  on 
quince  stocks  were  greatly  injured  by  rapid  successions 
of  very  warm  and  intensely  cold  weather.  The  result  was, 
that  nearly  all  the  trees  that  were  not  sheltered  were  de- 
stroyed, or  so  weakened  that  they  continued  to  die  till 
late  in  the  summer.  The  warmth  had  promoted  sap 
circulation,  and  the  sap,  suddenly  freezing,  formed-  little 
crystals  in  the  wood,  which  lacerated  the  fibers  by  every 
motion  of  the  swaying  trees.  This  cause  may  be  supple- 
mented by  such  a  freezing  and  thawing  of  the  limbs  and 
branches  as  dries  the  life  out  of  them.  In  all  such  cases 
the  injury  to  trees  will  be  in  proportion  to  the  expos- 
ure, and  so  the  protection  of  good  wind-breaks  is  of 
great  importance.  In  that  season  of  such  widespread 
loss,  those  trees  that  chanced  to  be  sheltered  from  the 
winds  escaped.  It  was  also  observed  that  the  loss  was 
not  so  great  with  trees  on  clayey  soil  that  shed  off  the 
water,  as  on  sandy  soil  that  was  filled  with  water. 

Trees  transplanted  in  the  fall,  too  late  for  the  cut 
roots  to  heal,  and  for  all  to  resume  their  normal  func- 
tions, may  in  consequence  fail  to  supply  their  tops  with 
needed  moisture,  and  they  will  become  shriveled  and 
winter-kill  in  consequence.  The  newly-set  tree  badly 
planted  may  suffer  by  the  frost  lifting  its  roots  out  of 


96  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

their  places,  in  which  case  it  is  likely  to  be  winter-killed. 
A  mulch  sufficient  to  protect  the  roots  from  freezing 
during  the  winter  is  a  wise  precaution,  not  only  to  pro- 
tect the  newly-planted  trees  from  intense  cold,  but  will 
be  a  safeguard  against  winter-killing  in  those  well  estab- 
lished. It  has  been  found  highly  beneficial  to  trees  to 
have  a  mantle  of  snow  cover  the  ground  all  winter,  be- 
cause it  protects  the  ground  from  sudden  changes.  A 
winter  rain  freezing  on  the  limbs  will  do  little  harm, 
unless  accompanied  by  winds,  because  there  is  no  danger 
of  drying  out  the  sap.  The  cold  may  be  severe  enough 
to  weaken  the  vitality  of  fruit-buds,  and  they  may  all 
drop  off  after  they  have  blossomed. 

Trees  are  able  to  endure  greater  cold  in  a  dry  atmos- 
phere than  in  a  moist  one.  In  elevated  situations,  trees 
will  endure  a  severer  temperature  than  in  valleys  or  low 
down  the  hill-sides. 

It  will  operate  favorably  to  so  cultivate  the  trees  as  to 
secure  an  early  growth  and  ripening  of  the  wood,  that  it 
may  be  in  the  best  condition  to  endure  the  severity  of 
winter  frosts.  When  stimulated  to  grow  very  vigorously 
late  in  the  season,  the  young  wood  is  more  likely  to  suffer 
than  that  produced  earlier  in  the  season. 

The  thermometrical  and  hygrometrical  conditions  act 
together,  and  the  hardiness  of  trees  will  be  determined 
by  the  power  of  the  tissues  to  withstand  the  pressure 
that  will  burst  them  if  they  contain  too  much  sap,  or  to 
shrivel  them  by  drying  out  their  moisture,  and  so  de- 
stroying their  vitality. 

A  wise  precaution  against  winter-killing  in  sections 
where  there  is  danger,  is  not  to  cultivate  late  in  the 
season.  The  culture  that  stimulates  a  late  growth  of 
soft  wood  that  does  not  ripen  before  the  severity  of 
winter  sets  in  is  to  be  avoided.  The  immature  wood  is 
easily  injure:!,  the  grain  is  ruptured  by  freezing  and 
thawing,  and  the  disorganized  cells  in  spring  are  no 


INSECT    ENEMIES. 


longer  able  to  perform  their  office.  Secure* 
growth  of  wood,  that  will  ripen  in  time  to  be  ready  for 
all  changes  of  weather,  and  you  will  have  the  satisfaction 
of  having  done  wisely. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 
INSECT    ENEMIES   OF    THE    QUINCE. 

ENTOMOLOGISTS  have  estimated  that,  on  an  average, 
there  are  from  four  to  six  insect  enemies  to  each  variety 
of  plants.  The  insect  enemies  of  the  quince  exceed  this 
average,  but  are  not  so  numerous  as  the  enemies  of  the 
apple.  Quite  a  portion  of  them  are  alike  the  enemies  of 
both. 

ATTACKING     THE    TRUNK    AND    BRANCHES. 

1.  THE  ROUND-HEADED  APPLE-TREE  BORER  (Saperda 
Candida,  Fabr. ;  Saperda  bivittata,  Say). — This  is  an 
American  insect,  first  described  by  Thomas  Say  in  1824. 
Trees  growing  on  high  ground  are,  other  things  being 
equal,  more  largely  infested  than  those  on  low  land.  In 
its  larval  state  it  is  called  the  Round-headed  Apple-tree 
Borer,  to  distinguish  it  from  a  flat-headed  species,  which 
also  preys  on  the  apple,  but  not  on  the  quince  tree.  In 
its  imago,  or  perfect  state,  it  is  commonly  known  as  the 
Two-striped  Saperda.  The  full-grown  larva  is  about  an 
inch  long,  cylindrical  in  form,  fleshy,  and  tapering  from 
the  head  to  the  tail.  The  round  head  is  of  a  chestnut  - 
brown  color,  horny,  and  polished.  The  jaws  are  quite 
black,  and  fitted  to  cut  the  fiber  of  wood  much  as  it  is 
cut  in  boring  with  an  auger.  The  chrysalis  is  lighter 
colored  than  the  larva,  and  is  marked  by  transverse  rows 
of  minute  spines  on  the  back,  with  a  few  at  its  extremity, 
which  probably  aid  it  in  casting  off  its  pupa  skin.  The 


98 


QUINCE   CULTUliE. 


insect,  in  all  its  stages,  will  be  readily  recognized  by  the 
accompanying  illustrations. 

During  the  months  of  May  and  June  this  beetle 
emerges  through  a  round  hole,  having  completed  all  its 
changes  from  the  egg  to  the  imago.  It  comes  out  in  the 
night,  and  hides  during  the  day  among  the  leaves,  which 
are  now  its  food.  The  sexes  pair  at  night,  after  which 
the  female  deposits  her  eggs  in  the  bark  at  the  collar  of 
the  tree.  The  eggs  are  the  size  of  a  small  pin-head,  and 
may  be  looked  for  from  May  till  August.  Their  entire 
life  history  embraces  about  three  years.  Within  about 


Fig.  67.— Larva.  Fig.  68.— Chrysalis.  Fig.  69.— Beetle. 

ROTJND-HEADED  APPLE-TREE  BORER. 

two  weeks  from  the  laying  of  the  eggs,  they  hatch  into  a 
larva,  which  penetrates  through  the  bark  to  the  sap-wood 
the  first  season,  where  they  form  a  burrow,  and  may 
often  be  detected  by  the  discolored  appearance  of  the 
bark  of  young  trees,  or  by  the  fine-grained  castings  they 
have  pushed  out  of  their  holes.  They  remain  in  the  tree 
three  years,  becoming  each  year  more  destructive.  Be- 
fore the  end  of  this  time,  as  they  approach  the  comple- 
tion of  their  larval  growth,  they  cut  a  passage  through 
the  heart-wood  of  the  tree,  extending  it  outward  to  the 
bark.  These  passages  are  cut  very  direct  up  to  this 
point  for  a  future  exit,  or  they  may  be  found  turning 
abruptly  back  in  any  direction.  "With  an  instinct  bor- 


INSECT  ENEMIES.  99 

dering  on  intelligence,  the  larva  now  fills  the  upper  part 
of  its  hole  with  its  woody  dust  against  the  bark  ;  then 
turns  round  and  fills  it  below  with  woody  fibers  of  the 
heart-wood,  when  it  again  turns  its  head  upward,  and 
there  rests  till,  in  the  next  spring,  the  matured  larva 
casts  off  its  skin  and  reveals  the  chrysalis.  In  three 
weeks  more  the  pupa  has  become  a  beetle,  the  soft  parts 
soon  harden,  and  in  a  few  days  it  makes  its  way  through 
the  castings  in  the  upper  end  of  its  passage,  cuts  a 
smooth  round  hole  through  the  bark,  about  three-six- 
teenths of  an  inch  across,  from  which  it  escapes. 

Remedies. — The  best  remedy  is  to  prevent  the  beetle 
laying  the  eggs  in  the  bark  of  the  tree.  This  may  be 
done  by  wrapping  petroleum  paper,  or  any  like  substance, 
around  the  collar  of  the  tree,  letting  it  reach  from  the 
ground  high  enough  to  protect  it.  Alkaline  washes 
have  been  found  distasteful  to  this  insect ;  and  a  wash 
of  strong  soap-suds  thickened  with  washing-soda  will 
keep  it  away.  Wash  as  early  as  May  and  June,  and 
keep  the  ground  clear  of  grass  and  weeds  for  a  harbor. 
I  have  found  clean  culture  a  good  protection  when 
neglected  trees  were  badly  infested,  and  some  were  de- 
stroyed. A  good  formula  for  a  wash  is  two  pounds 
of  soft  soap  and  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  sulphur  in  a 
pail  of  water.-  Apply  with  a  swab  or  brush. 

Christopher  Shearer,  a  very  successful  horticulturist 
of  Pennsylvania,  recommends  a  wash  of  four  gallons  of 
whitewash,  two  quarts  of  clay,  two  quarts  of  fresh  cow 
dung,  and  one  quart  of  strong  lye,  with  water  enough  to 
mix  well.  Scrape  the  earth  away  from  the  collar  of  the 
tree,  and  apply  with  a  swab  or  brush  in  May  and  August, 
reaching  well  up  the  tree.  Eeturn  the  earth  that  was 
removed.  He  finds  it  effective  with  the  peach  and 
apple  trees  as  well  as  the  quince.  The  main  thing  is  to 
prevent  the  laying  of  the  eggs,  and  this  does  it. 

Harris  recommends  plugging  up  their  holes  with  cam- 


100 


QUINCE   CULTURE. 


phor.  Downing  advises  to  heap  ashes  or  lime  about  the 
collar  of  the  tree.  He  would  protect  nurseries  by  wash- 
ing young  trees  with  a  solution  of  a  pound  of  potash  to  a 
gallon  of  water. 

If  the  larvae  have  already  got  into  the  trees  they  should 
be  dug  out  or  destroyed  in  their  holes.  Annealed  wire 
or  small  strips  of  whalebone  have  been  found  useful  to 
run  into  the  holes.  Besides  the  summer  examinations, 
it  is  well  to  look  over  the  trees  in  the  fall  and  winter  to 
make  sure  the  larvae  are  not  in  them. 

2.  THE  QUINCE   SCALE  (Aspidiotus  Cydonice,  Corn- 
stock). — This   is   an   enemy  found   on   quince   trees  in 
Florida.     The  scale  is  gray,  and  somewhat  transparent. 
The  shape  is  convex  and  the  size  only  about  six  hun- 
dredths  of  an  inch  across.     The  remedy  is  a  strong  solu- 
tion of  potash  or  soft  soap,  applied  with  a  swab  or  brush. 

3.  THE  WOOLLY  APHIS  (Aphis  lanigera  or  schizoneura, 
Hausmann). — The  downy  plant  lice,  now  placed  in  the 

genus  Eriosoma,  are  among  the 
most  destructive  species.  This 
aphis  was  imported  on  fruit  trees 
from  Europe,  and  yet  in  England 
it  is  called  the  American  Blight. 
It  is  most  commonly  found  on 
apple  trees  in  the  colder  sec- 
tions. It  was  on  the  quince  tree 
in  an  apple  orchard  at  Northamp- 
ton, Massachusetts,  where  it  at- 
tracted my  attention  some  years 
ago.  The  tree  had  numerous 
shoots  like  those  that  spring  up  around  apple  trees,  and 
these  were  abundantly  infested.  I  am  thus  particular  in 
giving  the  location,  as  I  have  not  seen  it  on  quince  trees 
farther  south,  and  have  not  seen  any  notice  of  it  on  the 
quince  by  other  writers.  It  may  be  readily  recognized 
by  the  woolly  covering  from  which  it  takes  its  name. 


Fig.  70. — WOOLLY  APHIS. 


INSECT   ENEMIES. 

^ 

(See  figure  70.)  The  numerous  punctures  they  make 
in  the  bark  of  the  tender  shoots  produce  warts  or  ex- 
crescences on  the  bark,  till  the  limbs  become  sickly,  the 
leaves  turn  yellow  and  drop  off,  and  sometimes  the  whole 
tree  dies. 

Remedies. — The  lady-bugs  and  their  larvae,  the  larvae 
of  the  Syrphus  and  lace-winged  flies,  and  the  little  chal- 
cid  fly  (Aplielinus  mali,  Hald.),all  feed  on  these  plant- 
lice.  The  old  bark  should  be  scraped  off  wherever  it 
makes  a  harbor  for  them,  and  then  with  a  stiff  brush 
they  should  be  treated  to  a  solution  of  lime  and  sulphur 
(five  pounds  of  lime  to  one  of  sulphur  in  two  gallons  of 
water,  heated  till  the  sulphur  is  dissolved).  The  earth  at 
the  roots,  as  far  as  practicable,  should  be  exchanged  for 
fresh  soil.  A  pound  .of  potash  in  a  gallon  of  water  is 
effective.  Another  application  is  made,  melting  three 
ounces  of  resin  with  the  same  quantity  of  fish  oil,  and 
applying  it  warm  with  a  paint  brush.  Spiders  spin  their 
webs  over  and  feed  on  them  at  their  leisure. 

4.  THE  SEVENTEEN-YEAR  CICADA,  commonly  called 
LOCUST  (Cicada  septendecim,  Linn.). — This  insect  de- 
rives its  name  from  the  time  it  requires  to  pass  through 
its  several  changes.  The  long  intervals  at  which  they 
appear,  and  the  little  damage  they  do  to  the  quince,  make 
any  extended  description  of  the  seventeen-year  locusts, 
however  interesting,  quite  unnecessary  here.  It  may  be 
found  in  any  good  work  on  entomology.  The  damage 
done  by  these  insects  can  not  be  prevented.  They  can 
not  eat,  and  the  only  injury  they  do  above  ground  is 
confined  to  the  small  branches  in  which  they  deposit 
their  eggs  ;  but  when  they  go  over  a  whole  tree  in  this 
way  it  becomes  a  serious  matter.  These  branches  die 
and  fall  off,  and  there  is  nothing  to  do  but  trim  off  the 
rough  ends  with  a  smooth  cut.  In  the  larva  state  they 
do  much  injury  to  the  roots  of  trees.  The  birds,  poultry, 
etc.,  destroy  many.  The  plow  destroys  more  in  culti- 


0'xJ  QUINCE    CULTURE. 

vated  grounds.  The  work  of  these  interesting  insects, 
however,  is  confined  chiefly  to  our  native  woods,  and 
their  numbers,  consequently,  can  not  easily  be  reduced. 

CLIMBING   CUT-WORMS   (Agrotidw). 

CUT-WORMS  are  the  caterpillars  of  widely-spread  species 
of  nocturnal  moths.  Most  of  them  confine  their  depreda- 
tions to  young  and  succulent  plants,  which  they  cut  off 
just  above  or  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Four 
species  of  this  numerous  family  are  in  the  habit  of 
ascending  trees  at  night,  and  doing  serious  damage 
by  eating  off  the  growing  twigs  and  foliage.  Or- 
chards in  light  sandy  soil  are  most  liable  to  their 


Fig.  71.— MOTH. 

attacks.  While  the  several  species  differ  in  size,  in  color 
and  markings,  both  in  the  larva  and  imago  state,  they 
are  much  alike.  In  their  general  appearance  they  are 
smooth  and  naked  larvae  of  some  shade  of  gray,  green, 
brown,  or  black,  with  dusky  markings.  The  female  lays 
about  600  eggs  on  the  twigs  of  the  trees,  where  they  do 
their  mischief.  They  eat  at  night,  and  are,  therefore, 
seldom  seen.  Having  finished  their  nocturnal  meal,  they 
fall  to  the  ground,  and  hide  in  the  earth. 

5.  THE  VARIEGATED  CUT- WORM  (Agrofis  saucia,Tlttb- 
ner).  The  moth,  with  wings  expanded,  measures  about 
an  inch  and  three-quarters  across.  The  fore  wings  are 
grayish  bro\vn?  marked  with  brownish  black.  The  hind 


INSECT    ENEMIES. 


103 


wings  are  white  and  pearly,  shaded  toward  the  margin 
with  pale  brown.  The  chrysalis  is  of  a  deep  mahogany 
brown,  with  dotted  markings  on  each  side,  and  sharp 


Fig.   72.— CHRYSALIS    OF   THE   VARIE- 
GATED   CUT-WORM. 


Fig.   73.— LARVA    OF    THE    VARIE- 
GATED   CUT-WORM. 


Fig.  74. — EGGS  OF  THE  VA- 
RIEGATED CUT-WORM, 
a,  Magnified ;  6,  Natural  Size. 


pointed  at  the  tip.  The  larva  pupates  in  the  ground, 
where  it  forms  a  smooth,  oval,  earth  cocoon.  The  larva 
becomes  full  grown  by  the  middle  of  June,  when  it  is  of 


Fig.  75. — LARVA  AND  MOTH  OF  THE  DARK-SIDED  CUT-WORM. 

a  dull  flesh-color,  mottled  with  brown  and  black,  hav- 
ing elongated  velvety  black  markings  on  the  sides. 

6.  THE  DARK-SIDED  OUT-WORM  (Agrotis  Cochranii, 
Riley).  The  moth  is  light  gray,  marked  and  shaded 
with  brown,  and  smaller  than  the  Variegated.  The  larva  is 
a  little  over  an  inch  long,  with  dark  ashen  gray  sides  and 


104 


QUINCE    CULTURE. 


lighter  color  above.  The  chrysalis  in  the  earth  cocoon  is 
about  seven-tenths  of  an  inch  long,  yellowish  brown  with 
darker  brown  markings. 

7.  THE  CLIMBING  CUT- WORM  (Agrotis  scandens, 
Riley)  is  very  destructive  to  buds  and  tender  stems  and. 
leaves.  The  body  of  the  moth 
is  about  seven-tenths  of  an  inch 
long,  and  the  spread  wings  meas- 
ure nearly  an  inch  and  a  half 


across.     The  fore  wings  are  of 


a  light  bluish  gray  with  darker 
markings.     The  hind  wings  are 
Fig.  76,-AGBOTis  SCANDENS.  pearly  white.    The  larva  is  about 

an  inch  and  a  half  long,  of  a  light  yellowish  gray,  varie- 
gated with  dull  green.  It  has  a  dark  line  along  the  back, 
with  fainter  lines  along  the  sides.  The  spiracles  are 
black.  The  chrysalis  is  brown. 

8.  THE  MAMESTRA  PICTA,  or  W-MARKED  CUT- WORM 
(Agrotis  clandestine^,  Harris),  feeds  on  succulent  plants, 
low  bushes,  and  the  buds  of  trees.  It  is  supposed  to 
have  two  broods  a  year.  The  first  transformation  of  the 


Fig.  77.— W-MARKEB 
CUT-WORM. 


Fig.  78.— MOTH  OF  W-MARKED 
CUT-WORM. 


chrysalis  to  the  moth  occurs  about  the  first  of  June  and 
the  second  near  the  end  of  August.  The  fore  wings  are 
of  a  dark  ash-gray,  marked  by  deeper  colored  lines,  mak- 
ing their  zigzag  course  a  distinct  W,  near  the  outer  hind 
margin.  The  hind  wings  are  a  dull  white,  faintly  tinged 


INSECT    ENEMIES.  105 

with  brown  on  the  outer  edge.  The  chrysalis  is  of  the 
shining  brown  color  common  to  the  species.  The  larva 
is  light  yellow,  variegated  with  three  broad,  black,  longi- 
tudinal stripes,  one  on  each  side,  the  other  on  the  top  of 
the  back.  The  head,  belly,  and  feet  are  tawny.  The 
lateral  black  stripe  consists  of  numerous  transverse  black 
marks  on  a  pure  white  ground.  On  account  of  its 
stripes,  Dr.  Melsheimer  called  it  the  zebra  caterpillar. 
It  does  not  conceal  itself  in  the  ground  until  it  is  ready 
to  pupate. 

Remedies. — The   common  red  ants  capture  and  kill 
them.     Insectivorous  birds  devour  them.     As  prevention 


Fig.  79.— CALOSOMA  SCEUTATOE.     Fig.  80. — CALOSOMA  CALIDUM. 


is  better  than  cure,  we  may  attract  the  moths  by  little 
bonfires,  and  destroy  them.  We  may  attract  them  by 
cider,  and  water  sweetened  and  flavored  with  vinegar. 
We  may  keep  the  larva  from  climbing  the  trees  by 
fastening  around  them  strips  of  tin  or  zinc  like  inverted 
funnels.  Cut-worms,  like  other  caterpillars,  have  de- 
stroyers in  the  Tachina  flies,  and  the  Ichneumons  are 
their  parasitic  enemies.  I  discovered  one  of  these  climb- 
ing worms  a  few  years  ago  in  the  very  process  of  destruc- 
tion by  parasites.  The  worms  crawled  through  the  skin, 
leaving  no  visible  mark,  and  then  spun  their  cocoons  on 


106  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

the  stem  that  supported  the  cut-worm.  Further  obser- 
vation showed  that  they  pupated  ten  days  before  coming 
forth  to  repeat  their  work  of  destruction.  The  female 
of  this  parasite  lays  about  100  eggs,  which  shows  that 
they  are  capable  of  doing  much  good  service.  The  car- 
nivorous beetles  Calosoma  scrutator  and  Calosoma  cali- 
dum  (Fabr.)  are  very  active  in  hunting  and  eating  all 
the  species  of  cut-worms.  The  latter  is  a  very  beautiful 
beetle,  with  copper-colored  spots  on  the  wing  covers. 
Their  aid  as  destroyers  of  noxious  insects  should  be 
better  known  and  appreciated. 

ATTACKING     THE     LEAVES. 

9.  CATERPILLAR  OF  THE  HANDMAID  MOTH,  or  THE 
YELLOW-NECKED  APPLE-TREE  CATERPILLAR  (Datana 
ministra,  Drury). — Of  all  insects  that  prey  upon  the 
leaves  of  quince  trees,  I  have  found  the  caterpillar 
of  the  Handmaid  Moth  most  destructive.  As  one  of 


Fig.  81— EGGS  OF  MOTH. 

its  names  suggests,  it  is  also  destructive  of  the  foliage 
of  the  apple  and  also  of  the  cherry.  The  eggs  are  laid 
on  the  under  side  of  a  leaf,  selecting  one  near  the  end  of 
a  twig.  They  are  fastened  in  nearly  straight  rows  to  one 
another  as  well  as  to  the  leaf.  They  vary  from  about  150 
to  180,  each  the  size  of  a  small  pin  head.  They  hatch  at 
varying  times  from  July  onward,  occasional  broods  com- 
ing out  as  late  as  September,  At  first  they  only  eat  the 


INSECT   ENEMIES. 


107. 


pulp  of  the  leaf,  leaving  a  pretty  network  of  veins  ;  but 
in  a  few  days  they  devour  the  whole  leaf,  and  when  full 
grown  sweep  every  thing  before  them.  Side  by  side  in 
solid  phalanx  along  the  twigs  and  branches,  they  feed 


Fig.   82.— BEFORE     THE     FIRST 
MOULT. 


Fig.  83. — BEFORE  THE  SECOND 
MOULT. 


Fig.  85.— BEFORE   THE  FOURTH  MOULT. 


Fig.  84. — BEFORE     THE    THIRD 


Fig.  86.— AFTER  THE  FOURTH  MOULT. 


gregariously,  resting  between  meals  in  the  same  order, 
with  both  head  and  tail  recurved  over  the  body.  If 
touched  or  otherwise  disturbed  they  at  once  throw  their 
heads  from  side  to  side  in  a  spiteful  manner,  or  let  them- 
selves down  by  a  silken  thread,  always  double,  which 
they  rapidly  spin  out  of  their  mouths.  Their  bodies  are 


Fig.  88.— CHRYSALIS. 


Fig.  87.— LARVA  AT  REST. 


well  covered  with  long,  soft,  whitish  hairs.  They  moult 
four  times,  and  attain  their  full  growth  in  five  or  six 
weeks,  and  are  then  about  two  inches  long.  A  black 
stripe  extends  along  the  back,  and  three  black  stripes 


108  QUINCE   CULTUKE. 

alternate  with  four  yellow  ones  on  each  side.  With 
expanded  wings  the  moth  measures  about  two  inches 
across,  sometimes  two  and  a  half. 

The  sexes  have  some  points  of  difference.  The  an- 
tennae of  the  male  have  two  rows  of  fringe  beneath,  with 
very  short  hairs  nearly  to  their  tips.  In  the  female  the 
antennae  are  naked.  She  is  larger  than  the  male.  Their 
color  is  a  light  brown.  The  head  and  a  large  square 
spot  on  the  thorax  are  dark  chestnut  brown.  The  hairs 
on  this  spot  can  be  erected  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  crest. 
The  fore  wings  are  slightly  notched  on  their  hinder 
margins,  with  from  three  to  five  transverse  brown  lines, 
and  one  or  two  dark  spots  in  the  middle  (sometimes 


Fig.  89.— HANDMAID  MOTH.  Fig.  90.— PARASITIC  FLY. 


lacking),  and  a  short,  oblique,  dark  line  near  the  outer 
margin.  In  repose,  the  hinder  part  of  the  body  is 
raised  up,  and  the  fore-legs  stretched  out  before  the 
body.  The  illustrations  will  aid  in  recognizing  them  at 
every  stage  of  their  life  history. 

Remedy. — They  are  easily  found  by  the  naked  limbs 
they  have  stripped  of  their  foliage,  and  also  by  their 
droppings  on  the  ground,  and  when  found  can  be  pulled 
off  and  crushed.  The  Tachina  flies  deposit  their  eggs  in 
them.  A  small  Ichneumon  is  also  known  to  prey  on  them. 

10.  THE  FALL  WEB- WORM  (Hyphantria  textor,  Har- 
ris).— The  appearance  of  web-tents  in  trees  after  the 
tent  caterpillar  of  early  spring  has  disappeared,  has 
raised  the  question  whether  there  be  not  a  second  brood, 


INSECT  ENEMIES. 


109 


Bui  the  tent  caterpillar  of  spring  only  preys  on  a  few- 
kinds  of  trees,  while  the  later  sort  are  ready  to  work  over 
a  very  wide  range*  They  are  much  smaller,  and  eat 
very  much  longer.  The  fall  web-worm  is  a  caterpillar 
of  the  family  of  Arctians  or  Tiger  moths.  The  name 
Hyphantria  means  a  weaver,  and  is  very  appropriate  and 
descriptive  ;  for  the  first  thing  they  do  when  hatched  is 
to  spin  a  web  on  the  leaf  where  they  are  hatched,  under 
which  they  eat  the  pulp  of  the  leaf.  Their  webs  are  so 
closely  woven  as  to  hold  their  excrements  as  a  fine  powder. 
The  moth  is  white,  with  tawny  yellow  fore-thighs  and 
dark-colored  feet.  The  antennae  of  the  males  are  doubly 
feathered  beneath,  and  those  of  the  female  have  two  rows 
of  teeth  on  the  under  side.  The  expanded  wings  meas- 


Fig.  91.— Larva.       Fig.  92.— Chrysalis.  Fig.  93.— Winged  Insect. 


FALL   WEB-WORM. 


ure  about  an  inch  and  a  quarter  across.  In  repose  they 
are  not  crossed  on  the  back,  but  are  roofed  or  sloped 
down  on  each  side  of  the  body.  It  only  flies  at  night, 
when  it  lays  its  eggs  on  leaves  near  the  end  of  the  twigs, 
during  June  and  July.  In  the  North  there  is  but  one 
brood  a  year,  but  in  the  South  there  is  often  a  brood  in 
June  and  another  in  August.  These  caterpillars  feed  on 
the  quince,  apple,  pear,  and  a  good  many  other  trees  and 
shrubs.  They  attain  their  full  growth  in  about  three 
months,  when  they  separate  to  seek  places  of  conceal- 
ment, where  they  pupate  in  thin  and  almost  transparent 
cocoons,  in  which  they  remain  through  the  winter  as 
chrysalids.  The  full-grown  caterpillar  is  over  an  inch 
long,  with  a  slender  body.  Their  general  color  is  gray, 
with  a  tinge  of  greenish-yellow.  Trees  defoliated  by 


110 


QUINCE   CULTURE. 


them  are  likely  to  be  barren,  because  it  is  too  late  to 
form  new  foliage  with  fruit  buds. 

Remedy. — Gather  and  destroy  them  in  their  webs. 
The  Spined  Soldier-bug  (Podisus  spinosus,  Dallas)  pierces 
their  bodies  with  its  beak,  and  sucks  them  empty.  There 
are  birds  that  pierce  their  webs  and  destroy  them  in 
spite  of  their  concealment. 

11.  THE  BAG- WORM,  BASKET- WORM,  or  DROP-WORM 
(Thyridopteryx  ephemermformis,  Haw). — The  bag-worm 


a,  Larva ;   5,  Chrysalis  ;  c.  Female  ;  <?,  Male  ;   e,  Female  bag  opened  ;  /,  The 

Worm  and  its  Bag  ;  g,  The  Young. 
Fig.   94. — THE    BAG-WORM,   BASKET- WORM,    OR  DROP-WORM. 

of  the  United  States  has  a  range  from  Alabama  on  the 
south  to  Massachusetts  on  the  north.  The  Germans 
call  it  Sack-trager  (sack-bearer).  It  feeds  on  almost 
every  variety  of  trees,  including  the  quince.  The  names 
applied  to  this  caterpillar  are  significantly  descriptive. 
No  sooner  is  it  hatched  than  it  begins  to  make  a  bag- 
like  house  on  a  tender  leaf.  Standing  on  the  leaf,  with 
its  little  tail  turned  up,  it  spins  a  silken  ring  around  it- 
self, fastening  bits  of  the  leaf  on  the  outside,  and  adding 
to  the  lower  edge  of  the  ring  as  they  increase  it  upward, 


INSECT  EHEMIES.  Ill 

until  it  reaches  the  tail,  forming  a  sort  of  cone,  as  at  fig- 
ure 94, /.  As  the  caterpillars  increase  in  size  they  enlarge 
their  houses  upward,  until  the  elongation  makes  their  bags 
so  large  and  heavy  they  hang  to  one  side,  instead  of  being 
upright,  as  at/.  They  are  full  grown  about  the  end  of 
July  when  hatched  the  last  of  May  or  early  in  June. 
The  habit  of  the  full-grown  worm  of  letting  itself  down 
by  its  silken  threads,  suggested  the  name  of  Drop-worm. 
When  they  travel  they  extend  the  head  and  enough  of 
the  body  to  use  three  pairs  of  legs,  each  provided  with  a 
strong  claw,  while  the  five  pairs  of  very  short  legs  within 
their  case  retain  a  strong  hold  with  clinging  hooks. 
They  moult  four  times  while  growing.  At  each  time 
they  close  the  mouth  of  the  sack,  and  retire  for  two  days 
to  cast  off  their  skins.  In  closing  the  bag,  a  hole  is 
always  left  at  the  end  large  enough  to  throw  out  their 
excrement  and  their  cast-off  skins.  The  body  is  cylin- 
drical and  soft,  and  that  portion  usually  concealed  in  the 
case  is  lighter  colored.  At  maturity  they  fasten  their  bags 
securely  to  the  twigs  of  the  tree,  instinctively  avoiding 
the  leaf-stalk  that  will  fall.  Then  they  line  them  with 
soft  silk,  and  turn  round,  with  their  heads  toward  the 
lower  orifice,  where  they  wait  to  cast  their  skins  and  be- 
come chrysalids.  Up  to  this  change  the  sexes  have  been 
alike  in  appearance  ;  but  henceforth  they  are  easily  dis- 
tinguishable. The  male  chrysalis  has  the  form  of  ordi- 
nary chrysalids,  being  about  half  the  size  of  the  female. 
The  female  chrysalis  has  no  sign  of  encased  wings,  legs, 
and  antennae,  appearing  as  a  naked,  yellowish  bag  of  eggs 
with  a  ring  of  soft  light  brown  hair  near  the  tail.  After 
three  weeks  the  male  chrysalis  works  down  to  the  end  of 
his  bag,  and,  hanging  half  way  out,  bursts  his  skin,  and 
emerges  as  a  moth  with  a  black  body  and  glossy  wings, 
as  at  d.  The  male  is  proportionally  stout  bodied,  with 
a  long  abdomen,  and  broadly  pectinated  antennae.  The 
female  has  neither  wings  nor  legs.  The  bag-worm  is 


QUINCE   CULTURE. 


exceedingly  hardy  and  vigorous,  and  readily  adapts  itself 
to  any  food  available. 

Remedies. — There  is  no  surer  method  of  destroying 
them  than  to  gather  the  cocoons  as  they  hang  on  the  trees 
and  burn  them.  They  are  easily  seen  during  the  winter. 
This  is  emphatically  applying  the  ounce  of  prevention 
that  will  save  the  pound  of  cure.  Two  insect  friends  aid 
us,  both  ichneumons.  The  Cryptus  inquisitor  (Say)  is 
about  two-fifths  of  an  inch  long.  The  Hemiteles  thyri- 
dopteryx  (Riley)  is  about  one-third  of  an  inch  long. 


Fig.  95. 

CRTPTUS  INQUISITOR. 


Fig.  96.— Male.  Fig.  97.—  Female. 

HEMITELES    THYRIDOPTERYX. 


Five  or  six  of  these  sometimes  occupy  the  body  of  a 
single  bag-worm.  After  destroying  the  worm,  they  spin 
for  themselves,  within  its  cocoon,  small  white  cocoons. 

12.  THE  CORN  EMPEROR  MOTH,  THE  lo  EMPEROR 
MOTH  (Hyperchiria  lo,  Linn.,  Saturnia  lo,  Harris,  Hy- 
percJiiria  varia,  Walker). — The  common  name  of  this 

moth  probably  came  from 
its  feeding  on  corn  and  for- 
aging on  both  trees  and  veg- 
etables, a  very  uncommon 
habit  with  insects.  It  not 
only  feeds  on  the  quince, but 

Fig.  98. — LARVA     OF     THE     CORN  J . 

EMPEROR  MOTH.  a  wide  range  of  trees  and 

vegetables.     The    moth    is 

very  beautiful,  and  only  flies  at  night.  The  sexes  differ 
both  in  size  and  color,  the  male  being  the  smaller.  His 
color  is  a  deep  yellow,  with  purplish  brown  markings.  His 


INSECT   ENEMIES.  113 

fore  wings  are  marked  with  a  zigzag  line  near  the  base, 
and  two  oblique  wavy  lines  near  the  outer  margin,  with 
other  spots  on  the  middle  forming  the  letters  A,  H,  all 
of  a  purplish  red  color.  The  hind  wings  are  hairy,  and 


Fig.  99.— CORN  EMPEROR  MOTH,  FEMALE. 

purplish  red  next  to  the  body,  with  a  narrow  curved 
band  of  like  color  near  their  posterior  margin,  and  within 
this  band  there  is  a  curved  black  line.  On  the  middle 
of  the  wing  is  a  black  spot  with  a  bluish  center,  on  which 
there  is  a  silver-white  line.  The  upper  side  is  ochre- 
yellow  ;  the  head  and  thorax  purplish  brown..  The  an- 
tennae are  broadly  pectinated,  while  in  the  female  they 


Fig.   100.— CORN  EMPEROR  MOTH,  MALE. 

are  feathered  very  narrow.  The  anterior  wings  of  the 
female  are  purplish  brown,  or  a  faded  cream  color.  The 
zigzag  and  wavy  lines  across  them  are  gray,  and  marked  in 
the  middle  with  a  brown  spot,  surrounded  by  an  irregular 


114  QUINCE  CULTURE. 

gray  line,  and  towards  the  base  are  covered  with  a  thick 
wool-like  covering.  The  posterior  wings  resemble  those 
of  the  male,  as  do  also  the  head  and  thorax.  The  ex- 
panse of  the  wings  is  from  two  and  three-quarter  inches 
to  three  inches  and  a  half. 

Soon  after  pairing  the  female  lays  her  eggs  in  clusters 
of  twenty  to  thirty.  The  eggs  are  top-shaped,  flattened 
at  the  top  and  compressed  on  the  sides ;  about  one- 
twentieth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  creamy  white,  with 
a  yellowish  spot  above,  which  gradually  increases  in 
color  as  they  come  to  maturity,  when  it  is  almost  black, 
and  the  yellow  larva  show  through  the  sides.  Beginning 
their  work  as  early  as  June  and  extending  it  nearly 
through  September,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  they  may  do 
great  harm.  The  broods  remain  together  till  near  ma- 
turity, when  they  separate  for  pupating.  The  full-grown 
caterpillar  is  two  and  a  half  inches  long,  pea-green,  with 
a  broad  brown  stripe,  edged  white,  low  down  on  the 
body.  Beginning  with  the  fourth  ring,  there  is  a  brown 
triangular  spot  on  the  under  side  of  each.  The  breath- 
ing pores  are  yellow,  ringed  with  brown.  Each  segment 
of  the  body  is  dotted  with  little  warts,  armed  with 
clusters  of  branching  spines.  The  prick  of  these  sharp 
spines  irritates  the  skin  like  the  sting  of  nettles.  Up  to 
the  age  when  they  separate,  the  groups  move  in  a  regular 
order,  guided  by  the  thread  spun  by  the  leader.  They 
moult  four  times,  attaining  maturity  in  August  and  Sep- 
tember, according  to  the  time  they  were  hatched,  when 
the  caterpillar  will  measure  two  and  a  half  inches  in  length. 
The  full-grown  larva  descends  to  the  ground,  where  it 
draws  together  leaves  or  any  other  convenient  material 
for  an  outer  covering,  within  which  it  makes  a  cocoon 
of  tough,  gummy,  brown  silk,  in  which  it  changes  to  a 
chrysalis. 

Remedies. — If  not  discovered  before  they  are  half 
grown,  when  together,  they  can  be  readily  found  and 


INSECT    ENEMIES. 


115 


destroyed  after  they  separate,  by  their  large  droppings. 
The  larvae  are  attacked  by  two  parasites;  one  a  very  small, 
unnamed,  four-winged  fly,  the  other  the  Long-tailed 
Ophion  ( Ophion  macrurum,  Linn.). 

13.  THE  VAPORER  MOTH,  THE  WHITE-MARKED  TUS- 
SOCK MOTH  (Orgyia  leucostigma,  Smith  and  Abbr.). — 
This  moth  takes  the  name  Orgyia  from  a  word  signifying 


Fig.    101.—  LARVA  OP  WHITE-MARKED   TUSSOCK  MOTH. 

to  stretch  out  the  hands,  on  account  of  its  resting  with  the 
fore  legs  extended.  The  English  name,  Vapor  Moth,  is 
applied  as  descriptive  of  the  males  ostentatiously  flying 
by  day,  or  vaporing,  when  most  other  moths  keep  con- 
cealed. The  name  White-marked  Tussock  Moth  is  ap- 
plied as  descriptive  of  the  four  little  hairy  tufts  on  the 


Fig.  103.—  Pupa.  Fig.  103.—  Male. 

WHITE-MARKED   TUSSOCK  MOTH. 

back  of  the  caterpillar.  On  each  side  is  a  row  of  smaller 
tufts  of  fine,  yellow  hairs.  A  narrow  dark  stripe  runs 
along  the  back,  and  a  wider  dusky  stripe  runs  along  each 
side.  There  are  two  long  black  plumes  on  the  first  ring 
and  one  on  the  top  of  the  eleventh  ring.  They  are 


116  QUINCE    CULTURE. 

something  over  an  inch  long  at  maturity.  The  body  is 
bright  yellow,  and  the  head  coral  red.  Though  not 
gregarious,  they  are  often  numerous  enough  to  be  very 
destructive  to  the  foliage  of  the  quince  and  other  trees 
and  shrubs.  There  are  two  broods  in  a  year.  The  first 
hatch  about  the  middle  of  May,  and  the  second  late  in 
July.  The  first  brood  complete  their  growth  by  the 
middle  of  July,  spin  their  cocoons  on  the  leaves  or 
branches  of  trees,  and  enter  into  the  chrysalis  state. 
The  chrysalis  has  little  downy  hairs,  and  three  oval 
clusters  of  bran-like  scales  on  the  back.  They  pupate 
eleven  days,  when  the  female  comes  forth  wingless,  and 
the  male  with  wings  that  expand  an  inch  and  three- 
eighths.  The  wings  are  ashen  gray,  crossed  by  darker 
wavy  bands  on  the  upper  pair,  which  are  also  marked  by  a 
black  spot  near  the  tip,  and  a  very  small  white  crescent  by 
the  outer  angle.  Their  antennae  are  broadly  pectinated. 
The  body  of  the  female  is  a  very  thick,  oblong  oval,  in 
distinctly  marked  sections,  and  of  a  lighter  gray  than 
the  male.  She  waits  on  the  outside  of  her  cocoon  for 
the  coming  of  the  male,  and  after  meeting  him  lays  her 
eggs  in  an  irregular  mass  on  the  top  of  the  cocoon,  which 
is  spun  between  the  leaves,  and  then  covers  them  with  a 
frothy  looking  substance,  which  hardens  to  brittleness, 
and  is  then  impervious  to  water.  After  laying  her  eggs 
she  drops  to  the  ground  and  dies.  The  young  larvae, 
when  seriously  disturbed,  let  themselves  down  by  silken 
threads  ;  and  when  the  danger  seems  past  they  climb  up 
the  threads  to  regain  their  former  situation. 

Remedies.  —  The  leaves  attached  to  the  cocoon  show 
where  their  eggs  are  laid,  so  they  can  easily  be  found 
during  the  winter,  and  destroyed.  There  are  nine  species 
of  two  and  four  winged  flies  that  are  known  to  be  para- 
sites of  this  insect  in  the  larval  state. 

14.  PEA.R-TREE  SLUG  (Selandria  [Blennocampa]  Ce- 
rasi,  Peck). — This  caterpillar  is  called  a  slug,  from  its 


INSECT    ENEMIES. 


117 


appearance  in  the  larva  state.  The  name  Blennocampa 
signifies  a  slimy  caterpillar.  Its  favorite  trees  are  the 
pear,  cherry,  and  quince,  and  it  is  sometimes  found  on 
the  plum  and  mountain  ash.  Ordinarily  there  are  but 
few  on  a  leaf,  but  sometimes  the  leaves  are  fairly  spotted 
with  them.  Thirty  have  been  counted  on  a  single  leaf. 
Professor  Peck,  of  Massachusetts,  wrote  its  natural  history 
in  1790  with  such  critical  accuracy  that  little  has  been 
since  added  to  our  knowledge  of  its  life  history.  It  is 
now  quite  generally  spread  over  the  country.  This  slug 
comes  from  the  eggs  of  a  saw-fly,  about  one-fifth  of  an 
inch  long,  resembling  the  common  house-fly.  Its  body 
is  glossy  black.  The  first  two  pairs  of  legs  are  clay- 


Fig.  104.—  Female. 


Fig.  105.— Larva. 

PEAR-TREE   SLUG. 


colored,  with  dark  thighs.  The  hind  legs  are  dull  black 
with  clay-colored  knees.  The  wings  are  transparent, 
slightly  convex,  and  uneven  on  the  upper  side,  with 
brownish  veins.  They  reflect  the  changeable  colors  of 
the  rainbow,  with  a  smoky  tinge  in  a  band  across  the 
middle  of  the  first  pair. 

The  female  is  provided  with  a  saw-like  appendage, 
with  which  she  cuts  a  curved  incision  through  the  skin 
of  the  leaf,  in  which  she  lays  her  eggs  singly,  and  gener- 
ally on  the  under  side,  from  about  the  middle  of  May 
into  June.  In  fourteen  days  they  begin  to  hatch.  At 
first  the  slugs  are  white  ;  but  soon  a  slimy  matter  oozes 
through  the  skin,  and  covers  their  backs  and  sides  with  an 
olive-colored,  sticky  coat.  The  head  is  small,  of  a  dark 


118  QUINCE    CULTURE. 

chestnut  color,  and  is  entirely  concealed  tinder  tlie  body, 
which  tapers  almost  to  a  point  at  the  tail,  which  in  re- 
pose is  turned  up  a  little.  They  have  twenty  very  short 
legs,  a  pair  under  each  segment,  except  the  fourth  and 
the  last.  They  grow  for  twenty-six  days,  casting  their 
skins  five  times,  and  eating  them  every  time  till  the  last. 
After  the  last  moult  they  show  a  clean  yellow  skin,  free 
from  viscidity.  They  now  show  the  head  and  segments 
of  the  body  very  plainly,  and  are  about  half  an  inch  long. 
In  a  few  hours  after  this  last  moult,  they  leave  the  tree 
and  burrow  a  few  inches  in  the  ground,  where  they  form 
little  oblong-oval  cavities,  lined  with  a  sticky,  glossy 
substance.  In  these  cells  they  pupate ;  and  in  sixteen 
days  the  change  is  complete  from  the  worm  to  the  fly, 
which  bursts  the  cell  and  crawls  out  to  seek  its  mate. 

The  flies  of  the  first  brood  lay  eggs  for  a  second  in 
July  and  August,  and  the  second  brood  go  into  the 
ground  in  September  and  October,  where  they  remain 
till  the  next  spring,  when  they  in  turn  change  to  flies. 
Where  they  are  very  abundant  the  foliage  is  entirely  de- 
stroyed, and  before  the  trees  can  again  clothe  them- 
selves with  leaves,  it  is  too  late  to  perfect  fruit  buds,  and 
barrenness  must  follow.  If  they  are  allowed  to  continue 
their  work  year  after  year,  the  trees  not  only  become 
barren,  but  die. 

Remedies. — We  may  catch  the  flies  if  we  see  them 
laying  their  eggs,  for  they  are  not  very  shy.  Saunders 
says,  if  the  tree  is  shaken  while  they  are  at  work,  "they 
fall  to  the  ground,  where,  folding  their  antennae  under 
their  bodies  and  bending  the  head  forward  and  under., 
they  remain  for  a  time  motionless." 

Powdered  hellebore  in  water,  an  ounce  to  two  gallons, 
or  either  of  the  poisons,  white  arsenic,  London  purple, 
or  Paris  green,  a  teaspoonful  to  two  gallons  of  water,  or 
air-slacked  lime,  or  ashes,  or  any  dry  dust,  or  slug-shot, 
sprayed  or  dusted  on  the  leaves,  all  seem  to  be  effective. 


INSECT    ENEMIES.  119 

I  have  found  the  dry  earth  under  the  trees  all-sufficient, 
if  applied  before  they  are  ready  to  go  into  the  ground, 
and  the  poisons  may  therefore  be  avoided. 

A  very  minute  ichneumon  fly,  a  species  of  Encyrtus, 
deposits  an  egg  in  the  egg  of  the  saw-fly;  and  from  this 
tiny  egg  a  maggot  is  hatched,  which  lives  on  the  egg  of 
the  slug-fly,  and  when  it  has  consumed  it,  becomes 
a  chrysalis,  and  then  a  fly.  Prof.  Peck  found  that  many 
eggs  of  the  second  brood  were  destroyed  by  "this  atom 
of  existence."  The  Vireo  and  Cat-bird  eat  them  from 
the  leaves.  In  dusting  tall  trees  a  sieve  fastened  on 
the  end  of  a  pole  is  a  convenient  implement.  An  old 
tin  can  well  punctured  with  holes  is  a  very  cheap  sieve 
for  the  purpose. 

15.  THE  POLYPHEMUS  MOTH  (Telea  Polyphemus, 
Sim;  Attacus  Polyphemus,  Harris).  It  is  called  Poly- 
phemus after  one  of  the  giants  in  mythology  bearing  this 
name.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  native  American 
silk  worms,  belonging  to  the  genus  Attacus.  The  wings 
of  the  female  spread  fully  six  inches ;  those  of  the 
male  a  little  less.  It  is  of  a  dull  ochre-yellow  color, 
clouded  with  black  in  the  middle  of  the  wings.  On  each 
of  the  fore  wings,  near  the  center,  there  is  an  eye-like 
spot  transparent  in  the  center,  crossed  by  light  lines,  and 
surrounded  by  rings  of  white,  red,  yellow,  and  black. 
Before  the  eye-spots  of  the  hind  wings  are  large  blue 
spots,  shading  into  black.  On  the  front  margin  of  the 
fore  wings  there  is  a  gray  stripe,  which  crosses  the  fore 
part  of  the  thorax,  and  near  the  base  of  these  wings  are 
two  short  red  lines,  edged  with  white.  At  their  tips  are 
also  two  small  dark  spots.  The  hind  wings  are  cut  off 
almost  square  at  the  corners,  and  near  their  margins 
have  wavy  lines  like  those  on  the  fore  wings.  The  an- 
tennae of  the  males  are  very  broadly  pectinated ;  of  the 
females,  lightly  feathered.  The  combinations  of  form, 
color,  and  markings  make  them  very  beautiful. 


120 


QUIKCE   CULTURE. 


Finding  the  larvae  every  year  on  some  of  my  quince 
trees,  I  have  studied  their  habits  with  a  great  deal  of  in- 
terest. So  far  as  I  know,  I  am  the  first  to  prove  that 


Fig.  106— THE  POLYPHEMUS  MOTH,   FEMALE. 

they  have  two  broods  a  year.  Packard  is  certainly  mis- 
taken when  he  speaks  of  "our  native  species  bearing  but 
a  single  crop  of  worms,"  for  this  one  is  double-brooded. 
The  chrysalis  that  winters  in  the  cocoon  is  proportion- 
ately short  and  thick,  of  a  reddish  brown,  and  distinctly 


Fig.  107.— THE  POLYPHEMUS  MOTH,  MALE. 

marked  in  cylindrical  rings.  The  larvse  of  the  first  brood 
only  pupate  about  twenty  days,  spinning  their  cocoons 
in  June  and  July,  according  to  the  time  they  were 


INSECT   ENEMIES. 


ly*r 


hatched  ;  for  the  cocoons  that  winter,  vary  considerably 
in  the  time  of  bringing  out  their  moths.  They  generally 
come  out  late  in  May  and  on  into  June.  Then  they  lay 
their  eggs,  usually  singly,  on  the  under  side  of  leaves, 
each  moth  laying  several 
hundred,  which  hatch  into 
caterpillars  in  ten  or  twelve 
days.  The  eggs  are  one- 
tenth  of  an  inch  across, 
much  flattened,  and  of  a 
color  approaching  to  white. 
At  first  the  abdomen  of  the 


Fig.  108.— CHRYSALIS  OF  POLY- 
PHEMUS M^OTH. 


female  is  so  heavy  with  the  abundance  of  the  eggs  -that 
she  flies  only  short  distances. 

The  caterpillar  is  a  shade  of  green  so  near  like  the 
leaves  around  it,  one  often  has  some  difficulty  in  discov- 
ering it,  even  after  he  has  found  where  to  look  by  its 


Fig.  109.— WOKM  OF   THE  POLYPHEMUS  MOTH. 

large  droppings,  and  also  because  of  its  habit  in  repose 
of  clinging  to  the  under  side  of  the  twig  with  the 
back  down ;  and  the  length  of  the  body  is  so  greatly 
contracted  as  to  hunch  up  the  segments.  It  has  twelve 
large  segments,  each  nearly  as  thick  as  a  man's  finger 
when  the  body  is  shortened  to  two  inches  ;  but  when  ex- 


122  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

tended  to  three  inches,  as  it  often  is  in  traveling,  the 
thickness  is  greatly  reduced. 

The  worm  moults  four  times,  at  intervals  of  ten  days, 
and  then  a  fifth  time  after  twenty  days.  Soon  after  the 
last  moult  it  draws  a  few  leaves  together,  within  which 
it  spins  a  short,  thick  cocoon  of  pure  silk.  In  confine- 
ment I  have  found  it  spins  enough  of  its  cocoon  in  a 
single  night  to  entirely  hide  itself  ;  but  it  evidently  con- 
tinues to  spin  much  longer  on  the  inside,  as  its  motions 
indicate.  Like  all  its  congeners,  it  spins  a  double  thread 
from  its  mouth,  gumming  it  enough  to  make  it  strongly 
adhesive,  not  only  to  all  points  of  attachment,  but  to  all 
parallel  and  intersecting  threads.  When  finished  it  is 


Fig.  110. — COCOON  OF  THE  POLYPHEMUS  MOTH. 

water-proof.  It  pupates  soon  after  the  cocoon  is  com- 
plete, and  in  about  twenty  days  the  moths  of  the  first 
brood  appear. 

The  twelve  segments  of  the  larva  are  each  marked 
with  three  side  rows  of  very  bright  yellow  spots.  The 
seven  segments  in  front  of  the  posterior  also  have  a 
very  bright  line  or  bar,  slightly  inclined  forward,  and 
reaching  from  the  dot  of  the  upper  row  to  that  of  the 
lower  row,  and  passing  the  dot  of  the  middle  row.  On 
the  back  is  a  row  of  small  hairy  elevations,  one  on  the 
top  of  each  segment.  The  head  is  pale  brown,  the  spi- 
racles pale  orange,  and  the  V-shaped  band  around  the 
tail  is  a  purplish  brown.  The  feet  of  the  first  three  seg- 
ments are  sharp  claws ;  the  next  two  segments  are  foot- 


INSECT   ENEMIES.  133 

less,  followed  by  four  with  very  strong  powers  of  attach- 
ment; then  two  more  are  footless.  The  terminal  segment 
has  pale  brown  feet. 

They  feed  on  the  oak  and  elm  as  well  as  the  quince. 
Harris  was  mistaken  in  saying  that  the  "outer  covering 
of  leaves  which  fall  off  in  the  autumn  bear  the  enclosed 
tough  oval  cocoons  to  the  ground."  I  have  always  found 
those  on  the  quince  fastened  securely  around  the  stem, 
so  as  to  avoid  the  danger  of  falling  to  the  ground.  The 
second  brood  spin  their  cocoons  in  August  and  September, 
and  these  furnish  the  winter  quarters  for  the  chrysalids. 


Fig.  111.— LONG-TAILED  OPHION. 

As  soon  as  they  are  out  of  the  cocoon  the  limp  wings 
unfold,  and  they  crawl  to  some  place  where  they  can 
hang  and  dry,  all  which  takes  place  in  an  hour,  when 
they  can  fly. 

Remedies. — At  the  annual  pruning,  such  cocoons  as 
have  escaped  previous  gathering  should  be  looked  for 
and  destroyed.  During  the  summer  and  fall,  the  larvae 
may  be  subdued  by  hand  picking,  the  place  of  their  loca- 
tion being  found  by  their  large  droppings.  Insectivorous 
birds  and  poultry  feed  on  them.  It  is  estimated  that 
four  out  of  five  of  the  larvoe  of  this  moth  are  destroyed 


124: 


QUINCE   CULTURE. 


by  its  parasitic  enemies.  The  largest,  and  perhaps  the 
commonest,  is  the  Long-tailed  Ophion  (Opkion  macru- 
rum.,  Linn.).  It  is  a  large  yellowish  brown  ichneumon, 
that  lays  its  eggs  on  the  skin  of  the  larvae,  to  which  they 
adhere  by  the  gum  surrounding  them,  and  hatch  in  a  few 
days.  A  two-winged  tachina  fly  is  also  often  found  as  a 
parasite  on  this'caterpillar.  Its  larva  is  a  fleshy  and  foot- 
less grub,  of  a  translucent  yellow,  and  about  half  an  inch 
long. 

16.  COTTON  TUFT  (Lagoa  crispata,  Packard).— This  is 
a  very  singular  variety  of  the  caterpillar  family,  which 

derives  its  name  from  the 
crinkled,  woolly  hairs  on  the 
fore  wings  of  the  parent 
moth.  The  thorax  and 
lower  part  of  the  sides  are  a 
slate-colored,  dusky  orange. 
It  makes  its  cocoon  by  inter- 
weaving its  long  hairs  with 
its  silk.  The  cocoon  is  long, 
cylindrical,  and  dense.  The 

ance;  c.advaaced  growth;  d,ma-          skin    of  the  Very   thin   pnpa 

is  found   protruding  from 

the  cocoon  after  the  moth  has  escaped.  When  I  first 
saw  the  Lagoas  on  the  quince  trees,  the  caterpillars  were 
about  a  third  of  an  inch  long  and  looked  like  so  many  tufts 
of  white  cotton.  Hence  the  common  name  I  have  given 
it.  After  they  had  moulted,  and  grown  to  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  length,  they  appeared  less  hairy, 
the  back  being  wide  in  proportion  to  the  length,  with  the 
corrugated  parts  conjoined,  reminding  one  of  a  trilobite. 

17.  THE    APPLE-TREE    APHIS    (Aphis   mali,   Fabr.; 
Aphis  malifolim,  Fitch).     The  name  Aphis  means  to 
exhaust,  and  is  well  applied  to  this  little  insect,  which 
proves  itself  a  great  exhauster  of  vitality  on  all  trees  on 
which  it  lives.     They  have   small  heads,    armed  with 


Fig.  112.— COTTON   TUFT, 
a,  cocoon  natural  size ;   l>,  early  appear- 


INSECT  ENEMIES.  .  125 

three-jointed  beaks,  which  puncture  the  tender  foliage, 
and  through  which  they  suck  out  the  juices  of  plants. 
Their  eyes  are  round,  without  eyelets.  Their  antennae 
are  long  and  tapering.  Their  legs  are  long  and  slender. 
There  are  but  two  joints  to  their  feet.  Their  wings  are 
nearly  triangular,  and  the  upper  wings,  longer  than  the 
body,  are  nearly  twice  as  large  as  the  lower.  In  repose 
these  wings  cover  the  body  like  a  steep  roof. 

The  most  wonderful  thing  about  them  is  the  way  they 
multiply.  The  males  die  soon  after  they  pair  in  autumn. 
The  females  lay  their  eggs  on  the  bark  near  the  leaf  buds, 
and  then  die.  In  spring,  when  the  leaves  begin  to  grow, 
the  eggs  hatch  and  they  begin  their  depredations.  All 


Fig.  113. — THE   GREEN  APHIS. 

the  young  lice  are  wingless  females.  In  ten  or  twelve 
days  they  attain  to  maturity,  and  by  a  viviparous  genera- 
tion they  begin  to  give  birth  to  a  daily  increase  of  about 
twenty.  This  second  generation  are  also  wingless  fe- 
males, and  soon  multiply  by  the  same  process  as  did  the 
first.  Thus  they  multiply  throughout  the  season,  with- 
out the  appearance  of  a  single  male,  till  in  autumn  they 
produce  a  brood  of  both  sexes,  as  well  as  the  viviparous 
form  already  described.  During  the  summer,  some 
of  the  females  acquire  wings,  and,  dispersing  to  other 
trees,  found  new  colonies.  They  are  generally  wingless, 
but  when  winged,  look  like  the  males,  with  a  black  head, 
thorax,  and  antennae,  black  dots  in  a  row  along  each 


126  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

side,  black  nectaries  and  tail  appendage.  The  neck  is 
green,  the  body  is  yellowish  green,  striped  often  with 
a  deeper  green.  The  young  are  almost  white.  The 
wings  are  transparent,  with  dark  veins. 

When  they  become  gorged  with  sap,  the  excess  is 
thrown  out  through  two  little  tubes,  which  project,  one 
on  each  side,  from  the  anterior  part  of  the  body.  These 
are  their  nectaries,  through  which  they  eject  a  honeyed 
fluid  known  as  honey  dew.  To  feed  on  this,  a  variety  of 
ants  and  flies  will  be  found  to  visit  them.  The  ants, 
with  whom  they  live  on  friendly  terms,  stroke  the 
aphides  with  their  antennse  to  induce  them  sooner  to 
void  this  sweet  liquid,  which  they  hastily  devour. 

Experiment  has  shown  them  capable  of  producing 
eleven  generations  in  seven  months,  when  frost  closed  the 
opportunity.  In  a  heated  room  they  continued  to  repro- 
duce a  constant  succession,  without  the  intervention  of 
males,  for  four  years.  Even  then  there  was  nothing  to 
show  why  it  might  not  have  been  continued  still  longer. 
Dr.  Burnett  considers  this  anomalous  mode  of  increase 
as  a  process  of  budding,  and  that  the  whole  series,  like 
the  leaves  of  a  tree,  constitute  only  one  generation, 
resulting  from  the  previous  union  of  the  sexes.  Reaumur 
proved  one  capable  of  increasing  to  six  thousand  millions 
in  five  generations.  The  leaves  of  trees  infested  with 
aphides  soon  become  distorted,  or  curled  back  so  as  to  have 
their  tips  touch  the  twig  whence  they  sprung,  thus  pro- 
tecting them  from  the  sun  and  rain. 

Remedies. — The  eggs  can  be  destroyed  by  a  wash  of 
caustic  lime  or  soda.  The  young  may  be  destroyed  by 
alkaline  solutions,  and  by  tobacco  water,  made  by  boiling 
a  pound  of  stems  in  a  gallon  of  water.  Twigs  can  be 
bent  into  it  with  but  little  waste  of  the  solution.  Small 
birds  in  winter  hunt  over  the  trees  for  its  eggs,  and  in 
summer  for  the  lice.  The  Ichneumon  fly  deposits  her 
egg  in  the  aphis,  and  this  soon  produces  a  destroyer. 


INSECT   ENEMIES.  2 

The  Aphis-lions  and  the  Lace-winged  flies  produce  larvae 
which  destroy  them  in  abundance.  Myriads  of  aphides 
are  destroyed  by  Lady-birds  and  their  larvae.  There  are 
nearly  a  hundred  species  of  Lady-birds,  all  of  which  are 
our  helpers.  I  have  found  the  large  black  ant  of  great 
service.  They  concentrate  on  limbs  infested  with  lice, 
and  clean  them  off.  I  count  each  nest  of  ants  worth  a 
dollar  a  year  as  insecticides. 

The  Syrphus  flies  (SyrpJms  politus,  Say)  lay  one  egg 
in  a  group  of  plant  lice,  which  hatches  out  a  footless, 
eyeless,  flattened,  wrinkled,  green  and  purple  maggot. 
Their  bodies  are  supple,  and  their  mouths  are  provided 
with  a  triple-pointed  dart,  with  which  they  pierce  the 
aphides,  and  suck  them  dry. 

A  black  aphis  appears  some  years  in  considerable  num- 
bers on  my  quince  cuttings,  just  in  time  to  destroy  open- 
ing buds.  Later  I  have  found  it  in  large  numbers  on 
the  young  shoots  of  growing  trees.  I  have  not  yet 
determined  with  certainty  its  position  in  the  aphis 
family. 

18.  KATY-DID,  THE  BROAD-WINGED  KATY-DID  (Cyr- 
tophyllus  concavuSyS&y,  Platyphyllum  concavum,  Harris). 
—PlatypJiyllum  means  a  broad  wing,  and  is  used  to  dis- 
tinguish this  from  the  Southern  Katy-did,  which  belongs 
to  the  genus  Phylloptera.  It  is  a  green  grasshopper  of  the 
order  Orthoptera,  and  derives  its  common  name  from  the 
note  of  the  male,  which  is  produced  by  a  kind  of  taboret. 
The  triangular  overlapping  part  of  each  wing-cover  forms 
a  strong  half-oval  frame,  in  which  a  thin,  transparent 
membrane  is  stretched.  The  friction  of  the  taboret 
frames  against  each  other  when  the  wing-covers  are 
opened  and  shut,  produces  several  distinct  notes  closely 
resembling  articulate  sounds,  and  corresponding  with 
the  number  of  times  the  wing-covers  are  opened  and 
shut.  In  the  stillness  of  the  night  these  notes  may  be 
heard  a  long  distance,  as  rival  notes  answer  from  adjacent 


128  QUIffCE   CULTURE. 

trees  with  emphatic  assurance  "Katy  did,  she  did." 
These  notes  are  continued  all  night. 

The  body  is  pale  green  ;  the  wings  and  wing-covers  are 
of  a  deeper  shade.  The  legs  are  also  green,  and  very 
long.  The  thorax  is  rough,  marked  by  two  slightly 
transverse  furrows  :  and  being  curved  down  a  little  on 
each  side,  with  a  slightly  rounded  elevation  behind, 
somewhat  resembles  a  saddle.  The  insect  is  about  an 
inch  and  a  half  long,  the  female  having  a  projecting 
ovipositor.  The  wings  are  shorter  than  the  wing-covers, 
which,  with  their  strong  midrib  and  regular  venation, 
much  resemble  a  leaf.  These  large  wing-covers  are 
both  oval  and  concave,  and  inclose  the  body  within, 
meeting  above  and  below  at  their  edges  like  the  two 
parts  of  a  bivalve  shell.  The  piercer  of  the  female  is 
broad,  laterally  compressed,  and  curved  like  a  cimeter ; 
and  in  both  sexes  there  are  two  little  thorn-like  projec- 
tions from  the  middle  of  the  breast  between  the  fore  legs. 
The  antennae  are  very  long  and  slender.  They  attain 
maturity  in  September  and  October,  when  the  female 
lays  her  eggs  in  two  intersecting  rows  of  eight  or  ten 
each,  along  the  twig  of  the  tree,  the  bark  being  rough- 
ened under  them.  The  eggs  are  slate-brown,  about  one- 
eighth  of  an  inch  across,  shaped  much  like  flax-seed,  and 
overlap  each  other  like  shingles.  They  are  gummed 
securely  to  the  twig.  They  hatch  in  the  spring. 

Remedy. — Gather  the  broods  of  eggs  on  the  twigs  at 
the  annual  pruning;  or  capture  and  destroy  fche  mother 
before  she  deposits  her  eggs.  They  are  often  found  on 
grapevines,  both  eggs  and  insects. 

19.  THE    OBLOKG-WINGED    KATY-DID    (Phylloptera 
oblongi/olia,  De  Geer)  is  so  similar  in  habits  of  feed- 
ing and  laying  its  eggs   as  not  to  need  any  separate 
description. 

20.  THE  LEAF-CRUMPLER  (Phycis  indigenella,  Zeller). 
— The  common  name  of  this  insect  is  a  very  appropriate 


fNSECT    ENEMIES. 


one.  In  its  larval  state  it  draws  a  few  leaves  together, 
within  which  it  prepares  a  place  of  abode,  and  in  which 
it  winters  when  about  one-third  grown.  With  opening 
spring  it  resumes  activity,  and  leaves  its  case  in  search 
of  food,  and  continues  to  grow  till  the  early  part  of  June, 
when  it  shuts  itself  up  in  its  case,  and  becomes  a  reddish 
brown  chrysalis  about  four-tenths  of  an  inch  long.  As 
a  larva  it  was  a  third  longer.  As  a  perfect  moth  it 
comes  out  in  about  two  weeks,  with  wings  expanded  to 
seven-tenths  of  an  inch.  The  body  of  the  larva  is  a  dull 


Fig.  114. — c,  Head  of  Larva,  magnified ; 
d,  Size  of  the  Moth. 

THE  LEAF-CRTJMPLER. 


Fig.  115. 


greenish  brown,  with  a  horny  plate  on  the  top  of  the  first 
segment,  and  a  flattened  dark  prominence  on  each  side, 
below  the  plate.  Each  of  the  other  segments  is  marked  by 
a  number  of  dark  dots,  each  giving  rise  to  a  single  brown 
hair.  The  head  is  a  dark  reddish  brown.  There  is  only 
one  brood  a  year,  from  eggs  laid  in  July.  There  is  a 
striking  contrast  between  the  markings  of  their  two 
pairs  of  wings.  The  fore  wings  are  pale  brown,  with 
patches  and  streaks  of  silvery  white.  The  hind  wings 
are  plain  brownish  white.  The  under  side  of  both  pairs 


130  QU1HCE  CULTURE. 

is  paler.     Besides  the  quince,  it  feeds  on  the  apple,  cherry, 
plum,  and  sometimes  the  peach  leaves. 

Remedies. — Gather  and  destroy  the  cases  in  which 
they  hibernate.  A  small  Ichneumon  fly  is  a  parasite  on 
it;  and  the  two-winged  Tachina  fly  (Tachina  pliycitcB, 
Le  Baron),  which  closely  resembles  the  common  house 
fly,  also  preys  on  it. 

ATTACKING    THE    BUDS. 

21.  THE  TARNISHED  PLANT-BUG  (Lygceus  lineola- 
ris,  P.  Beauv.). — This  injurious  insect  is  about  one- 
fifth  of  an  inch  long.  The  males 
are  generally  darker  than  the  females, 
the  colors  in  both  varying  from  a 
dark  brown  to  a  greenish  yellow 

TjaJSffiZfjjL  brown.     The  head  is  yellowish,  with 

/ISSPffX  three  narrow  reddish  stripes.  The 
beak  is  about  one-third  the  length 
of  the  body,  and  is  folded  under  it 
when  not  in  use  to  puncture  the 
buds,  and  suck  out  their  juices. 
Fig.  iie.-TARNisnED  Th  punctures  seem  to  poison  both 

PLANT-BUG  (Enlarged). 

the  buds  and  young  leaves.  A  whole 
branch  is  sometimes  seen  to  wither  and  die  from  their 
injuries.  The  thorax  has  a  yellow  margin,  with  several 
yellowish  lines  running  lengthwise.  Behind  the  thorax 
is  a  yellow  V-like  mark,  rather  indistinct.  The  legs  are 
yellow  and  the  wings  dusky  brown.  When  handled  they 
emit  a  disagreeable  odor.  They  do  their  mischief  in 
about  three  weeks.  They  lay  their  eggs  on  the  leaves. 
The  young  bugs  are  wingless,  and  of  a  green  color. 
Otherwise  they  resemble  their  parents.  They  are  in- 
jurious to  the  quince,  pear,  apple,  plum,  cherry,  etc. 

Remedies. — They  are  sluggish,  early  in  the  morning, 
and  may  then  be  shaken  off  and  destroyed. 


IKSECT   EKEMIES.  131 

ATTACKING     THE    FLOWERS. 

22.  THE  PEAR-TREE  BLISTER  BEETLE    (Pomphopcea 
cenia,  Say).     This  beetle  is  a  little  over  half  an  inch 
long,  with  head  and    thorax    punctated,    and  a  little 
hairy.     The   roughened    wing  cases   are  marked    with 
two   slightly   elevated  lines.     The   color  is   a  greenish 
blue.     They  eat  the  entire  flower  except  the  stamens. 
They  sometimes  eat  the  tender  leaves  at  the  end  of  the 
limbs.     Besides   the  quince,  they  eat   the  blossoms  of 
the  plum,  cherry,  etc. 

The  remedy  is  to  jar  them  down  early  in  the  morning, 
and  destroy  them  before  the  sun  warms  them  to  activity. 

23.  A  BEETLE  just  about  the  size  of  the  asparagus  beetle, 


Fig.  117.  Fig.  118. 

PEAR-TREE  BLISTER  BEETLE.  CHRTSOMELIANS. 

but  with  yellow-striped  wing-covers  like  the  cucumber 
beetle,  is  a  Chrysomelian  that  sometimes  riddles  the  petals 
of  the  quince.  It  eats  the  buds  before  the  petals  have  ex- . 
panded.  They  feed  singly  or  in  groups,  and  when  dis- 
turbed, hastily  fly  away.  I  first  found  them  on  the 
quince  in  the  spring  of  1887. 

ATTACKING    THE    FRUIT. 

24.  THE  CURCULIO  (Conotmchelus  Cratcegi,  Walsh). 
— This  beetle  is  an  indigenous  insect.  Its  home  is 
the  wild  haw,  from  which  it  has  come  to  be  very 
injurious  to  the  quince.  It  is  a  little  larger  than  the 
plum  curculio.  The  color  is  ash-gray,  mottled  with 
ochre-yellow.  It  has  a  dusky,  almost  triangular  spot  at 


132  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

the  base  of  the  thorax  above.  The  wing-covers  have 
seven  narrow  longitudinal  elevations,  with  two  rows  of 
dots  between  them.  Its  piercer  is  folded  under  the 
thorax  when  not  in  use.  It  feeds  on  the  quince  both  in 
the  larva  and  imago,  burying  itself  entirely  in  the  fruit. 
Occasionally  it  attacks  the  pear. 

In  May  the  beetles  come  from  the  chrysalids,  pair,  and 
commence  laying  their  eggs  in  June.     In  piercing  the 
fruit  they  make  a  cylindrical  hole 
a  little  larger  than  the  egg,  and 
enlarged  at  the  base.     In   this 
the  egg  is  laid,  and  hatches  in 
a  few  days.     The  larva  burrows 
through  the  growing  fruit  near 
the  surface,  seldom  penetrating  to 
Fig.  119.— QUINCE  CURCULIO   the  core-     At  maturity  it  leaves 
{Greatly  Enlarged).  the   fruit  through  a  cylindrical 

opening,  after  which  it  buries  itself  in  the  earth  two 
or  three  inches  deep, ,  and  remains  unchanged  till  the 
following  May,  when  it  pupates  and  becomes  a  beetle. 
Remedies.— Jarring  the  beetles  off  the  trees  on  sheets 
and  killing  them,  if  thoroughly  done,  will  prove  effective. 
Gathering  and  destroying  the  fruit  that  falls,  or  that 
which  does  not  fall  if  it  has  been  stung,  will  be  helpful  in 
destroying  them. 

There  are  several  caterpillars  besides  those  named  that 
prey  on  the  leaves  of  the  quince,  which  we  have  not  yet 
been  able  to  name  with  certainty.  One  is  a  large  and 
nearly  black  caterpillar  ;  and  another  is  small,  and  mot- 
tled like  some  of  the  span  worms. 


BIRDS — TOADS — BABBITS — MICE.  133 

CHAPTER    XX. 
BIRDS—TOADS—RABBITS—MICE. 

BIRDS. — Much  might  be  said  of  the  value  of  poultry 
in  the  orchard  to  destroy  insect  enemies.  Insectivorous 
birds  are  also  valuable  allies  for  the  horticulturist ;  but 
in  merit  our  domestic  fowls  outrank  them  all.  It  is  ad- 
vantageous to  raise  fruit  and  fowls  together.  It  will  be 
to  the  advantage  of  both  if  the  fowls  are  in  number  pro- 
portionate to  their  field  of  operation. 

Poultry  are  supposed  to-  omit  from  their  bill  of  fare 
some  of  our  insect  friends,  and  it  is  probable  the  birds  do 
likewise  ;  but  all  insects  are  devoured  by  the  toad,  which 
will  clear  your  room  of  cockroaches  over  night,  just  as 
he  will  your  gardens  of  the  vilest  of  your  insect  foes.  I 
find  a  movable  fence,  in  sections  that  can  be  put  to- 
gether whenever  it  is  wanted,  a  very  convenient  thing 
for  poultry.  It  may  be  made  of  lath  nailed  on  scantling. 
Others  are  using  netting  of  wire  cloth,  and  find  it  satis- 
factory. It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  laws  protecting  in- 
sectivorous birds  will  be  generally  respected,  and  that 
our  song  birds  will  be  left  to  multiply  in  our  orchards 
and  gardens.  The  English  sparrow  is  an  enemy  to  be 
destroyed,  for  doing  more  harm  than  good. 

RODENTS. — There  are  two  rodents  that  deserve  notice 
as  enemies  of  the  quince,  apple,  and  pear. 

1.  THE  HARE  or  GRAY  RABBIT  (Lepus  sylvaticus). 
— The  hare,  or  rabbit,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  injures 
young  trees  by  cutting  off  the  tops  and  by  gnawing  the 
bark  from  those  too  large  to  eat  off.  This  is  often  a  very 
serious  damage  in  both  the  nursery  and  the  orchard. 
They  multiply  rapidly,  and  sometimes  become  formidable. 

Remedies. — They  are  easily  caught  in  traps  and  snares. 
They  may  also  be  poisoned  by  strychnine,  a  small  portion 
being  placed  on  pieces  of  carrot,  of  which  they  are  very 


134 


QUINCE   CULTURE. 


fond.  The  bark  may  be  protected  by  smearing  it  with 
blood,  or  rubbing  it  with  liver,  or  smearing  it  with 
tobacco  water,  or  lime  water,  with  enough  copperas 
added  to  turn  it  green.  A  little  cheap  glue  will  make 
the  wash  stick  to  the  bark.  Thick  paper  around  a  tree 
will  keep  them  from  gnawing  the  bark.  Charles  Down- 
ing recommends  a  paint  made  of  a  handful  of  flowers  of 
sulphur,  half  a  spadeful  of  soot,  a  spadeful  of  fresh  cow 
dung,  with  a  spadeful  of  hot  slacked  lime,  applied  on  a 
dry  day.  He  says  English  gardeners  set  up  swabs  dipped 
in  melted  sulphur  among  the  trees  in  their  nurseries. 
2.  MEADOW  MICE  (Mus  arvicolce). — Meadow  mice  are 


Fig.  121. 

SAVING  GIKDLED  TREES. 


Kg.  122. 


known  by  various  names  in  different  parts  of  the  country, 
such  as  short-tailed  field  mice,  ground  mice,  etc.,  and 
are  sometimes  called  moles,  although  they  are  very  dif- 
ferent from  them.  They  are  covered  with  long  gray 
hair,  have  very  thick  heads,  and  very  short  tails.  They 
all  burrow  in  the  ground.  The  greatest  damage  done  by 
meadow  mice  is  gnawing  off  the  bark  of  fruit  trees. 
They  do  this  most  when  the  ground  is  covered  with 
snow.  Like  the  rabbit,  they  multiply  rapidly.  Their 
hiding  places  may  be  found  in  brush  heaps,  under  stacks 
of  grain  and  hay,  and  similar  places. 

Remedies. — Burn  the  brush  heaps.     Set  the  rails  up  on 
end  so  as  not  to  make  a  shelter  for  the  mice,  and  keep 


USES   OF   THE   QUINCE. 

cats  or  a  dog  to  hunt  them.  Hawks  catch  them  by  day 
and  owls  by  night.  Skunks,  foxes,  etc.,  also  help  to 
lessen  their  numbers.  But,  after  all,  they  will  multiply 
rapidly  if  grass  and  weeds  are  left  in  the  orchard.  The 
rabbit  remedies  will  also  answer  for  mice. 

Girdled  trees  may  sometimes  be  saved,  if  the  injury  is 
discovered  before  the  wounds  get  dry,  by  banking  the 
tree  with  moist  earth.  A  more  certain  way  is  by  insert- 
ing a  row  of  cions  around  the  girdled  place,  either  by 
halving  them  and  inserting  the  ends  under  the  bark 
above  and  below,  or  by  using  strips  of  bark  for  the  same 
purpose.  The  edges  of  the  bark  should  be  cut  smooth 
and  even  to  insure  success.  In  either  case  they  should 
be  well  protected  by  grafting  wax. 


CHAPTER    XXL 
MEDICINAL  AND  ECONOMIC  USES  OF  THE  QUINCE. 

EVERY  part  of  the  quince  is  useful.  Its  scarcity  and 
consequent  high  price  have  kept  it  in  the  good  house- 
keeper's list  of  luxuries.  But  when  its  cultivation  be- 
comes more  general,  it  will  come  within  the  reach  of  all, 
and  be  in  still  greater  demand. 

In  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era  the  old  Roman 
Columella  said:  "Quinces  not  only  yield  pleasure,  but 
health."  A  modern  writer  of  note  says  :  "  Medicinally, 
the  quince  is  cooling  and  strengthening.  The  juice 
is  good  against  nausea.  The  ripe  fruit  eaten  raw  is 
said  to  be  good  for  spitting  of  blood ;  also  for  swollen 
spleen,  dropsy,  and  difficult  breathing." 

"The  quince  in  the  Materia  Medica,"  according  to 
Lewis  and  Woodville,  "is  astringent  and  stomachic. 
The  juice  in  nausea  is  to  be  given  in  doses  of  a  spoonful 
or  two;  so  in  vomitings,  inodorous  eructations,  and  some 
kinds  of  alvine  fluxes.  In  the  London  Pharmacy  this  juice 


136  QUINCE   CULTUKE. 

was  formerly  ordered  to  be  made  into  a  syrup  called  Syrup- 
us  Cydonareun.  or  syrup  of  quinces ;  and  was  prepared 
by  digesting  three  pints  of  the  depurated  juice  with  a 
drachm  of  cinnamon,  half  a  drachm  of  ginger,  with  half 
a  drachm  of  cloves,  on  warm  ashes  for  six  hours,  and  then 
adding  a  pint  of  red  port  and  dissolving  in  the  strained 
liquor  nine  pounds  of  sugar.  But  the  only  preparation 
of  the  quince  it  now  directs  is  a  mucilage  of  the  seeds, 
made  by  boiling  a  drachm  of  these  in  eight  ounces  of 
water  till  it  acquires  a  proper  consistence.  This  has 
been  recommended  in  apthous  affections  and  excoriations 
of  the  mouth  and  fauces.  It  may  be  more  pleasant,  but 
less  efficacious  than  that  of  the  simple  quince."  In  1831 
Henry  Phillips  reported  the  cure  of  a  severe  case  of 
asthma  at  Horsham,  in  Sussex,  England,  by  using  quince 
wine. 

1.  QUINCE  WINE  is  made  of  equal  parts  of  quince  juice 
and  water,  with  three  and  a  quarter  pounds  of  sugar  to 
the  gallon,  added  before  it  is  fermented.     The  seeds  are 
taken  out  before  the  fruit  is  crushed  or  grated.     If  the 
water  is  omitted,  the  medicinal  value  will  be  greatly 
increased. 

2.  QUINCE  SYRUP,  made  by  boiling  the  richness  out  of 
the  fruit,  and  dissolving,  in  the  water  used,  sugar  enough 
to  give  it  a  good  heavy  body,  will  be  found  delicious  for 
the  soda  fountain.     Without  the  soda  it  is  a  pleasant 
summer  drink  in  water. 

3.  QUINCE  WATER,  made  by  pouring  hot  water  over  the 
dried  fruit,  and  letting  it  steep  awhile,  is  a  good  substi- 
tute for  tamarind  water.     It  is  most  acceptable  to  in- 
valids desiring  a  cooling  acid  drink. 

4.  BANDOLINE  is  made  by  covering  the  seeds  with  forty 
to  fifty  times  their  bulk  of  warm  water,  which  soon  pro- 
duces a  mucilage  used  by  perfumers  and  hair  dressers. 
Many  ladies  prepare  it  for  themselves  to  keep  their  hair 
in  place.     It  can  be  perfumed  with  tiny  kind  of  odor. 


USES   OF  THE   QUINCE.  137 

By  the  addition  of  a  little  alcohol  it  can  be  kept  for  a 
long  time.  It  is  this  use  of  the  seeds  which  causes  the 
great  demand  with  druggists. 

5.  QUINCE  PRESERVES  are  made  by  first  cooking  the 
fruit  soft,  and  then  adding  as  many  pounds  of  pure  sugar 
as  there  were  pounds  of  the  raw  fruit,  and  simply  scalding 
it  through  thoroughly.  The  importance  of  not  adding  the 
sugar  to  acid  fruits  till  after  they  are  cooked  soft  has  not 
been  sufficiently  understood.     It  is  estimated  to  require 
double  the  sugar  if  it  is  put  into  the  fruit  at  first ;  be- 
cause the  conversion  of  the  cane  sugar  into  glucose  or 
grape  sugar  lessens  its  sweetening  power  very  greatly; 
some  say  more  than  one-half. 

The  receipts  in  the  cook  books*  give  directions  for  a 
long  and  tedious  process  to  do  what  is  so  short  and 
simple  by  this  method.  To  prevent  mould  on  jars  of 
preserves  or  jellies,  they  should  be  kept  in  a  cool  place 
and  covered  closely  from  the  air.  A  thin  paper  covering, 
wet  with  alcohol  or  lard,  and  gently  pressed  on  the  sweet- 
meat, is  a  safeguard ;  or  cover  with  a  thin  film  of  lard 
without  the  paper.  Melted  paraffine  poured  over  the 
confections  serves  the  same  purpose,  and  is  very  easily 
removed  when  they  are  used. 

6.  QUINCE  MARMALADE  is  made  by  cooking  the  fruit 
soft,  crushing  to  a  pulp,  and  adding  sugar  to  taste.     Boil 
slowly,  stirring  constantly  to  prevent  sticking  or  burning. 
When  it  falls  off  a  spoon  like  jelly,  it  is  done,  and  can  be 
molded   in   cups  and  covered  the  same  as  jelly.     One- 
third  sweet  apples  maybe  added  without  more  sugar,  and 
still  the  flavor  will  be  sufficient  to  suit  many  tastes. 

7.  QUINCE  BUTTER  is  made  much  like  the  marmalade, 
except  the  addition  of  sugar.     This  is  a  favorite  fruit 
confection  in  the  Philadelphia  market. 

8.  QUINCE  COMPOTE. — Pare  a  dozen  quinces,  cut  them 
in  halves,  and  take  out  the  cores.     Put  in  a  preserving 
vessel  enough  clear  syrup  to  cover  them,  and  add  the 


138  QUINCE   CULTURE. 

juice  of  two  lemons.  Heat  the  syrup,  and  add  the 
quinces,  boiling  well  together.  Drain  the  fruit,  and  pack 
it  in  a  compotier.  Leave  the  syrup  to  thicken  a  little, 
and  pour  it  over  the  quince. 

9.  QUINCE  SAUCE  is  made  by  simply  stewing  the  fruit 
soft,  then  mashing  and  adding  sugar  to  taste.     The  ad- 
dition of  one  half  apples  or  pears  will  greatly  increase 
the  quantity  and  yet  leave  a  good  quince  flavor. 

10.  QUINCES  CANNED,  or  bottled  as  sauce,  are  as  suc- 
cessfully put  up  as  any  other  fruit  for  similar  use,  only 
remember  to  cook  soft  before  adding  the  sugar,  as,  be- 
sides the  sweetening,  there  will  be  a  toughening  of  the 
fruit.     I  canned  a  large  quantity  in  glass  jars  (the  Light- 
ning can  preferred),  first  packing  them  full  of  the  raw 
fruit,  then  filling  with  water,  and  boiling  till  soft  in  a 
common  wash  boiler  on  my  cook  stove.     The  safety  of 
the  jars  was  secured  by  a  very  thin  skeleton  frame  of 
wood  on  the  bottom  of  the  boiler.     After  the  fruit  was 
soft,  the  jars  were  lifted  out,  and  the  water  poured  off, 
and  half  a  pound  of  dissolved  granulated  sugar  added  for 
each  quart  jar.     This  made  a  rich,  heavy  syrup,  which 
was  returned  to  the  fruit  in  the  jar.     Replacing  the  jars 
in  the  boiler,  they  were  soon  boiling  again,  when   they 
were  ready  to  seal.     Lastly,  they  were  inverted,  and  left 
so  till  cooled.     By  this  last  process  it  was  easy  to  discover 
if  the  jar  and  sealing  were  perfect;  if  not,  bubbles  of  air 
would  press  in  and  show  at  once  on  the  surface. 

11.  BAKED  QUINCES  are  a  favorite  with  some.     Wash 
and  core,  then  fill  with  sugar, and  bake  in  a  dish  or  pan  con- 
taining a  little  water,  to  eat  hot  or  cold  with  cream  and 
sugar.     Or,  having  cut  in  halves,  without  paring  or  cor- 
ing, boil  till  nearly  tender,  and  then,  covered  with  sugar, 
bake  in  a  hot  oven,  basting  often  with  the  syrup  made 
by  the  sugar  and  water  in  which  they  were  boiled.     When 
done  put  a  lump  of  butter  on  each  half.     Turn  the  syrup 
over  them,  and  serve  as  before. 


USES   OF  THE   QUINCE.  139 

12.  SWEET  PICKLES.— Prepare  as  for  preserves.     Cook 
tender  in  water,  drain  well,  and  simmer  for  five  minutes 
in  a  syrup  of  good  vinegar,  covering  the  fruit,  and  add 
sugar,  one  and  a  half  pounds  to  a  pound  of  quinces,  with 
spices  of  cinnamon,  allspice,  mace,  and  cloves  to  suit  one's 
taste.     The  water  in  which  they  were  boiled  can  be  used 
to  make  jelly.     A  pint  of  vinegar  to  seven  pounds  of  fruit 
is  a  good  proportion  for  sweet  pickles  to  keep  well. 

13.  QUINCE  JELLY,  when  well  made,  is  unsurpassed. 
Most  housekeepers  use  the  parings  and  cores  of  such  as 
have  been  used  for  some  other  confection.     It  is  better  to 
leave  out  the  cores,  as  the  mucilage  around  the  seeds  may 
make  the  syrup  ropy,  and   hinder   success.     The   skin, 
with  what  adheres,  contains  the  part  of  fruit  richest  in 
pectine,  and  so  is  best  for  jelly.     Indifferent  fruit  should 
be  cooked  with  the  skins  for  jelly.     Apples  may  be  used 
to  increase  the  quantity  of  jelly  without  seriously  reduc- 
ing the  flavor.     Cook  the  apples,  and  then  the  quinces 
in  the  same  water.     The  color  of  all  jellies  may  be  kept 
light  by  shortening  the  time  of  boiling ;  and  this  may  be 
done  by  dividing  the  fruit  into  three  or  four  parts,  cook- 
ing them  successively  in  the  same  water.     By  the  time 
the  last  is  cooked,  and  the  pulp  pressed  and  syrup  strained, 
the  sugar  can  be  added  ;  by  measure  rather  than  weight, 
bulk  for  bulk.     When  the  sugar  is  added  to  the  syrup  a 
scum  will  rise,  and  should  be  removed.   No  more  skimming 
is  necessary  till  it  is  done,  when  another  skimming  will 
leave  it  entirely  clear.     The  exact  jellying  point  in  the 
process  must  be  determined  by  trial  as  the  boiling  pro- 
ceeds.    Longer  boiling  may  reduce  it  to  a  syrup  again. 
As  soon  as  the  jelly  is  done,  let  the  heat  subside  a  little, 
and  pour  into  cups  to  mold  it  for  use ;  and  in  a  few 
minutes  after,  run  a  spoon  around  the  top  of  the  cups 
to  gather  the  film,  when  each  will  be  perfectly  smooth 
and  glassy.     Preserve  from  mould  as  above  described  for 
preserves. 


INDEX. 


Adjustable  Marker 45 

Age  of  Quince  Trees 50 

Agrotidce _• 102 

Aqrotis  clandestlna 104  j 

Cochranii 103  | 

saucia 102  j 

scandens 104  | 

Aid  from  others 10 

Aim  of  Author  in  Writing 12 

Allorhina  nltida 89 

Angers  Quince 21 

Ants,  Black 127 

Red..-. 105 

Aphelinus  mall 101 

Aphides 100,  124, 127 

Aphis  lanigera 100 

lions  127 

mali 124 

maUfoKce 125 

schizoneura 100 

Woolly , 100 

Apple-tree  Aphis .125 

tree  Borer,Round-headed -97,98 

or  Orange  Quince.-- 22 

Arctians  ...1 109 

Ashes 18,86 

Aspidiotns  Cydonia 100 

Attacus  Polyphemus 119 

Average  yield  of  Meech's  Pro- 
lific  Quince 81 

Bacteria.. 82,85 

Bag-worm 110 

Baked  Quinces 138 

Bandoline 136 

Bark-bound 94 

Basket  for  Shipping 7i 

Basket-worm 110 

Beetles 106 

Birds,  Value  of 133 

Bending  down  Branches 75 

Bleeding  from  Pruning 74 

Blennocampa - 116 

Blight,  Description- ..-  83 

fo 


Preventive 95 

Recovery 85 

Spread 84 

Blossoms 75,  76 

Which  will  Bear? 77 

Borer,  Apple-tree 97 

Round-headed 97 

Remedies 99 

When  to  look  for.. 98 

Budding 62 

Buds,  Flower 69 

(140) 


Buds,  Latent 17 

Leaf 69 

Threefold...- 18 

Butter,  Quince -  .137 

Calosoma  calidum 106 

scrutator 1 106 

Caterpillar  of  Handmaid  Moth.  106 
Yellow-necked  Apple-tree . .  106 

Cellular  Tissue 18 

Chalcid  Fly 101 

Champion  Quince 24 

Chinese  Quince.-. 22 

Chrysomelians  . .  131 

Cicada  septcndccim 101 

Conotrachclus  Cratceqi 131 

Compote  of  Quince 137 

Corn  Emperor  Moth 112 

Cotton  Tuft 124 

Crate 80 

Crops,  average  yield,  value,  etc.  81 

Cryptus  inquisitor 112 

Cultivation 42,  43 

Curculio 131 

Cuttings,   length    and   how  to 

plant . 62 

Cutting  back 50 

Cut-worms,  Climbing 102,  104 

Dark-sided 103 

Mamestra  Picta 1 04 

Variegated 102 

W-marked 104 

Remedies  for 105 

Cyrtophyllus  concavus. 127 

Datana  ministra 106 

De  Bourgeaut  Quince 25 

Decay,  Occasion  of 73 

Digging  the  Tree 47,  48 

Diseases .82,  92 

Bacteria 82 

Bark-bound 94 

Blight 83,  86 

Fungi 82 

LeafBlight 93 

Leaf  Mildew 92 

Orange  Rust 86,  90 

Quince  Leaf  Brownness 90 

QuinceRot 93 

Yellow  Leaf  Spots 91 

Drainage 42 

Dropping  of  Fruit;  why? 72 

Drop-worm 110 

Encyrtus 119 

Equalizing  the  Growth 71 

Eriosoma. 100 

Evaporation  from  Soil , ,  ,42,  43 


INDEX. 


Excess  of  Wood 72 

Fall  Web-worm .108,  110 

Fertilizers,  Artificial 36,  40 

Liquid  Manure 70 

Lime 70 

Salt 37 

Flowers 19 

Fontenay  Quince...  ..  25 

Fruit 80 

Keeping 80 

Marketing ..80 

Thinning .70,  78 

Wax-like  Covering  of . ...  86,  94 
Fruitful  Branches,  Which  are  ?-  72 

Fuller  Quince 25 

Fungi 82 

Gathering  Fruit  too  early. 80 

and  marketing 79,  81 

Girdled  Trees  saved 135 

Good  Pruning  illustrated 72 

Grafting,  Cleft 60 

Crown 61 

for  early  Fruitfulness 75 

Saddle 61 

Side 61 

Splice  or  Whip 61 

Time  of. 60 

Gray  Rabbit.... 133 

Grain  or  Grass,  Do  not  plant  in.  51 

Hare,  The -133 

Healing  Wounds 73,  74 

Heeling  in,  Sloping  and  Erect. .  51 

Hendersonia    Cydon  ia 91 

Hemiteles  thyridopteryx . . .  112 

Hide-bound 94 

History  of  Quince ..13-16 

Hyphantna  textor 108,  109 

Hyperchiria  lo 112 

varia- 112 

Ichneumons .105,  106 

Insect  Enemies 97,  131 

Aphides      (for     var.      see 

aphides) 101,124,127 

Apple-tree    Borer.  Round- 
headed 97,98 

Bag,  Basket  or  Drop- worm  .110 
Caterpillar    of     Handmaid 

Moth ..108,110 

Cotton  Tuft 124 

Chrysomelians 131 

Corn  Emperor  Moth. 112 

Curculio 131 

Cut- worms 102, 105 

Fall  Web-worm .108,  110 

Katy-did .127,128 

Leaf  Crumpler 128 

Locust 101 

Pear-tree  Blister  Beetle 131 

Slug ..116 


Insect   Enemies  —  Polyphemus 

Moth .119,123 

Quince  Scale 100 

Spined  Soldier-bug 1 10 

Tarnished  Plant-bug 130 

VaporerMoth 115 

White  -  marked      Tussock 

Moth 115 

Yellow-necked    Apple-tree 

Moth 108-110 

Insect  friends 106,  130 

Allorhina  nitida 89 

Aphis-lions ...127 

Calosoma  scrutator 106 

calidum ...106 

Chalcid  Fly.... ...101 

Cryptus  inquisitor 112 

Dung  Beetle.. 89 

Encyrtus .  .119 

Hermiteles  thyridopteryx 112 

Ichneumons 105,  106,  112 

Lace-winued  Flies 1 27 

Lady-bugs 127 

Long-tailed  Ophion 1 1 5 

Red  Ants .105 

Syrphus  Flies 127 

Tachina  Flies 106,108 

Tachina  phycitce 130 

Japanese  Quince... 27 

Jelly,  Quince 139 

Katy-did,  Broad- winged 127 

Oblong-winged. .128 

Keeping  a"  Record 54 

Keeping  Fruit 80 

Knowledge   necessary  to  Suc- 
cess  9 

Lace- winged  Flies 127 

Lady-birds ...127 

Lagoa  crispata 124 

Largest  Quince  Tree  on  Record.  50 

Layering. 56, 57 

Laying  out  the  Orchard 45,  47 

Leaf  Blight.. 93 

Leaf  Crumpler ...128 

Leaf  Mildew 92 

Leaves 18 

Lenticelles.. 17,  29 

Lepus  sylvaticus 133 

Life  force 19 

Lime .70,86 

Lindlcy's   Law   for   Leaf   and 

Flower-buds 69 

Liquid  Manure.. 70 

Locating  Board 47 

Locust,  Seventeen-Year 101 

Long-tailed  Ophion ...115 

Lygceus  lineolaris 130 

Mamestra  Picia 104 

Manual  needed. ..  .    9 


142 


QUINCE  CULTURE. 


Manuring-. ., ..36,40 

Common  Sources  of 39 

Chemical 40 

Necessity  of 36 

Marketing  .'. 80 

Marmalade 137 

Meadow  Mice 134 

Medical  Uses  of  the  Quince 135 

Meech's  Prolific  Quince 27 

Mice,  Meadow.... 134 

Mildew 92 

Missouri  Mammoth  Quince 29 

Morthiera  Metpili 90,  91 

Moults  of  Caterpillars 107 

Mound  Layers 57 

Mulching 47 

Mus  arvicolcB 134 

Musk  or  Pineapple  Quince 30 

New  Upright  Quince 25 

Nitrogen,  "Sources  of 39 

Ophion,  Long-tailed 115 

Ophion  macrurum 115,  124 

Orange  or  Appl e  Quince 22 

Orange  Rust .  86 

Orchard,  Laying  out  the 43,  47 

Orgy i a  leucostigma 115,  ?  16 

Overbearing . . .  77 

Parasites 108 

Pear  Quince 31 

Pear-tree  Blister  Beetle 131 

Slug.... 116 

Phycis  indiginella 128 

Phylloptera  oblonr/ifolia 128 

Pickles,  Sweet..' 139 

Pinching  in 71 

Pineapple  Quince 30 

Planting ..45,47 

Distance  apart 49 

Platyphyllum  concavus .127 

Jodisus  spinosus 110 

Podosphcera  tridactyla 92 

Polyphemus  Moth... 119 

Pwnphopvea  ccnla 131 

Portugal   Quince 31 

Poultry,  Aid  of 133 

Price  of  Quinces 81 

Principles  to  be  Understood 12 

Profits 81 

Promoting    Fruitfulness    with- 
out Pruning .74,  75 

Propagation -57,  62 

By  budding -  62 

cuttings .57,  59 

grafting - .  59 

layering 57 

root  grafting 58 

root  cuttings  59 

seeds - 55 

sprouts 57 


Propagation — 

By  stool  layers 57 

Best  Time  to  Layer 57 

Formation  of  Callus 57 

How  to  plant  Cuttings 59 

Keeping  Buds  dormant 8 

Length  of  Cuttings 57 

On  what  to  Graft.  59 

Preparing  for  Planting  -.58,  59 

Time  to  Plant . 59 

Pruning  at  Transplanting 63 

for  Form-. 65 

Fruitfulness 68 

Good  Pruning  illustrated- .  72 

Healing  Wounds 73,  74 

Pruning  Limbs 71 

Root  Pruning 69 

to  promote  Growth 67 

When  to  prune  Limbs 71 

Roots 70 

withSaw 7* 

Shears 74 

|  Quinces  among  the  Greeks 13 

among  the  Romans  . . .  13 

in  America 16 

Botany.. 13 

Etymology 13 

France 16 

Italy 15 

Persia 15 

Tradition 13 

Parts  of  Tree. 17 

Curculio 131 

Scale 100 

Rot 93 

Tress,  Ornamental 11 

Rabbit,  The  Gray 133 

i  Itcestilia  aurantiaca 86,  89 

Rea's  Mammoth  Quince 32 

Recipes 136,  139 

I         Quinces,  Baked 138 

Quince  Bandoline 136 

Butter 137 

Canned 138 

Compote.. 137 

Jelly- 139 

Marmalade 137 

Preserves .137 

Sauce. 138 

Sweet  Pickles 139 

Syrup 136 

Water.. 186 

Wine 136 

Red  Ants .  ..105 

Remedies  for  Aphides  .101,  126, 127 
Bag,  Basket,  or  Drop-worm.  112 

Borers 99 

Caterpillar    of    Handmaid 
Moth..  ..108 


INDEX. 


143 


Remedies  for  Emperor  Moth.  .-114 

Curculio 132 

Cut-worms 1 05 

Fall  Web-worm 108 

Katy-dids 128 

Leaf  Crumpler 1^0 

Lice --134 

Pear-tree  Blister  Beetle 131 

Pear-tree  Sing 118,119 

Polyphemus  Moth 123 

Rabbits 133 

Scale 100 

Spined  Soldier-bug 110 

Tarnished  PI  ant-bug. 130 

Vaporer  or  White  Tussock 

Moth 116 

Restoring  Withered  Trees 51 

Ringing     Branches     for    early 

Fruit 75 

Rodents 133 

Roots ...17,48 

Tap 17 

Lateral 17 

Root  Cuttings 59 

Grafting.. 58 

Pruning,  how,  when 69 

Rot ' 93 

Round-headed  Apple-tree  Borer  97 

Sack-trager 110 

Salt  as  a^Fertilizer 37 

Saperda  Uvittata 97 

Candida 97 

Saturnia  lo... 1 12 

Sauce,  Quince 1 38 

Seeds 55 

Selandria  Ccrasl 116 

Shears  better  than  Knife 74 

Soils.-.. 33,35 

Draining 35 

Effect  on  Quality  of  Fruit.  35 

How  kept  Moist 35 

How  Selected 34 

Kinds 33 

Sphceropsis  Cy  don  ice 93 

Spined  Soldier-bug 110 

Sprouts  from  Stumps 157 

Step-ladder 79 

Stipules 18 

Stool  Layers 57 

Straightening  Trees 55 

Suber  Cells 94 

Sweet  Pickles ..139 

Sweet  Quince 32 


Syrphus  Flies 127 

Sijrphus  poliius 127 

Syrup,  Quince 136 

Tachina  Flies .105,108 

Tachina  pJtydtce.. .130 

Tarnished  Plant-bug 130 

Telea  Polyphemus 119 

Thinning    Fruit,  when,  which 

70,77,  78 
Thyridopteryx  ephemercefornris.AlQ 

Tiger  Moths 109 

Toads. 133 

Trenching 41 

Transplanting 47,  49,  70 

to  bring  into  Bearing 70 

Care  in  Planting 50 

Cutting  Back/. 50 

Keeping  a  Record 54 

Preparing  Ground 50 

Size  for  Transplanting 50 

Time .-.-52,  54 

Unfavorable  Weather 75, 76 

Vaporer  Moth 115 

Varieties 20, 32 

Angers 21 

Apple  or  Orange 22 

Cnampion 24 

Chinese 25 

De  Bourgeaut 25 

Fontenay  or  New  Upright.  25 

Fuller . 25 

Japanese 27 

Meech's  Prolific 27 

Missouri  Mammoth 29 

Musk  or  Pineapple 30 

Pear 31 

Portugal 31 

Rea's  "Mammoth 32 

Sweet  Quince 32 

What  Constitutes  a  Variety  20 

Seedlings  Numerous 21 

When  to  sell  Quinces 80 

White-marked  Tussock  Moth. .115 

Winds,  Effect  of 54 

Wine 136 

Winter-killing,  Causes,  Protec- 

tection  against 95,96 

Wood 18 

Woolly  Aphis 100,  101 

Wounds  from  Pruning 73,  74 

Yellow  Leaf-spots.... 91 

Yellow-necked  Apple-tree  Cat- 
erpillar  106 


OUR    LATEST   BOOKS. 


FISHING  AND    IKMIi:  WATERS .60 

By  SETH  GKEEN.  The  Utilization  of  Farm  Streams  ;  Management  of 
Fish  in  the  Artificial  Pond  ;  Transportation  of  Eggs  and  Fry,  etc. 
Cloth,  12mo. 

A    B   1     01'    AGRICULTURE SO 

By  MASON  C.  WELD,  and  other  writers.  A  Valuable  and  Practical 
Manual. 

BROO1U-CORN     AND    BROOMS. 5O 

New  and  Revised  Edition.    Cloth,  12mo. 

THK  WINDOW  FLOWER  GARDEN 75 

By  JULIUS  J.  HEINRICU.    New  and  Revised  Edition.    Cloth,  12mo. 

OUR  HOMES;    HOW  TO  BEAUTIFY  THEM. $1.OO 

Full  of  Suggestions  for  making  the  Home  Attractive,  and  elegantly 
Illustrated.  Cloth,  12mo. 

FARM    APPLIANCES $1.0O 

Fully  Illustrated.    Cloth,  12mo. 

FENCES,  GATES  AND  BRIDGES. , $1.0O 

Profusely  Illustrated.    Cloth.  12ino. 

QUINCE    CULTURE '. Sl.OO 

By  REV.  W.  W.  MEECH.    Cloth,  12mo. 

THE  PROPAGATION  OF  PLANTS $1.5O 

By  ANDREW  S.  FULLER.  Giving  the  Principles  which  Govern  the 
Development  and  Growth  of  Plants,  their  Botanical  Affinities  and 
Peculiar  Properties.  Cloth,  12mo.  With  numerous  engravings. 

THE  DAIRYMAN'S  MANUAL $3.00 

By  HENRY  STEWART,  author  of  "Irrigation,"  "The  Shepherd's 
Manual,"  etc.  Cloth,  12mo. 

PRACTICAL     F  LORICULTURE $1.50 

A  Guide  to  the  Successful  Propagation  and  Cultivation  of  Florists' 
Plants.  Re-written  and  Enlarged.  By  PETER  HENDERSON.  Cloth, 
12mo. 

GARDENING    FOR     PROFIT $2.00 

By  PETER  HENDERON.  A  neiv,  entirely  re-written,  and  greatly  en- 
larged edition  of  this  ivett-Mown  standard  work.  The  best  book  on 
market  and  family  gardening.  Fully  Illustrated.  Cloth,  12mo. 

GARDENING  FOR   PLEASURE $2.OO 

By  PETER  HENDERSON.  New  Edition,  greatly  enlarged. 
For  all  who  keep  a  garden  for  their  own  enjoyment,  rather  than  for 
sale  of  products.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  12mo. 

Send  postal  card  for  our  80-page  elegantly  illustrated 
Catalogue  of  our  3OO  Rural  Publications. 

ORANGKE     JTJDD     COMPANY, 

751    BROADWAY,    NEW    YORK. 


[TY   OF   CALIFORNIA 
LIBRARY 


Due  two  weeks  after  date. 


uu, 


JA«131985 


Rahirnedby 

FEB  14  1985 

i>maa  Cruz  Jifnay 

FEB  19 '85 


GENERAL  LIBRARY -U.C.  BERKELEY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


